CHARLES  H.  COREY, 
President  Richmond  Theological  Seminary. 


A   HISTORY 


Richmond  Theological  Seminary 


WITH 


REMINISCENCES  OF  THIRTY  YEARS'  WORK 


AMONG   THE 


COLORED  PEOPLE  OF  THE  SOUTH. 


BY 

H.  COREY, 

President  of  Richmond  Theological  Seminary. 


WITH  AN 
INTRODUCTION  BY  W.  W.  LANDRUM,  D.  D. 


RICHMOND,  VA. 

J.  W.  RANDOLPH  COMPANY. 

1893. 


LC 


T3 


Copyright,  1895, 

BY  CHARLES  H.  COREY 

All  rights  Reserved. 


WILLIAM    ELLIS   JONES,   PRINTER, 
RICHMOND,   VA. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. — Some  Matters  Personal — The  United  States 
Christian  Commission— Schools  for  Colored  Soldiers 
at  Port  Hudson— Getting  out  of  the  Red  River 13 

CHAPTER  II. — Morris  Island — Entry  into  Charleston — Inci- 
dents— A  Sunrise  Prayer-Meeting — The  First  Ser- 
mon—The Dead  Officer — The  Disgusted  Officer — A 
Mock  Auction — Incidents — The  Old  Flag  Back — 
Resolutions — Departure 20 

CHAPTER  III. — Missionary  Work  in  South  Carolina — Con- 
dition of  the  Churches— Church  Organized  in  the 
Woods — On  the  Sea  Islands — Rev.  T.  Willard  Lewis 
and  Other  Methodist  Workers— Statistics— The  Au- 
gusta Institute 36 

CHAPTER  IV. — The  Evacuation  of  Richmond — The  Burn- 
ing of  the  City — Mr.  Lumpkin's  Coffle  of  Slaves — 
Lecture  by  Dr.  Burrows — President  Lincoln  in  Rich- 
mond— Lumpkin's  Jail — His  Daughters  in  a  North- 
ern Seminary — Rev.  Mr.  Newman's  Experience 42 

CHAPTER  V.— Condition  of  the  Freedmen  at  the  Close  of 
the  War — Work  in  their  Behalf  by  the  American 
Baptist  Home  Mission  Society — Early  Work  in  Rich- 
mond— The  National  Theological  Institute  and  Uni- 
versity— Dr.  N.  Colver — Dr.  Robert  Ryland— Dr. 
Parker's  Lectures — Resolutions 51 


4  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI. — Dr.  Colver'e  Work  in  Richmond — Letters — 
Transfer  of  the  Work  of  the  National  Theological 
Institute  and  University  to  the  American  Baptist 
Home  Mission  Society — Report  of  Work  Done 59 

CHAPTER  VII. — Letter  of  Dr.  Simmons  on  Lumpkin's 
Jail — Recollections  by  Mrs.  H.  Goodman-Smith — 
Purchase  of  the  United  States  Hotel — Incorporated 
as  Richmond  Institute 69 

CHAPTER  VIII. — Extracts  from  Official  Letters  of  Secre- 
taries—Extracts from  other  Letters — Needy  Stu- 
dents   90 

CHAPTER  IX. — Need  of  Enlightened  Leaders— Extracts 
from  Letters — Difficulties — Early  Encouragements — 
Drs.  Dickinson  and  Jeter— Other  early  Friends— An 
Amusing  Incident — The  Capitol  Disaster Ill 

CHAPTER  X — The  Freedmen's  Bureau — Act  of  Incorpora- 
tion— Purchase  of  a  New  Site — A  Higher  Theological 
School  Needed— The  Richmond  Theological  Semi- 
nary Incorporated 123 

CHAPTER  XI. — Our  Students — Results  of  Their  Labor— Let- 
ters from  Students 135 

CHAPTER  XII. — Our  Teachers — Sketches  of  Our  Present 
Professors— Special  Lectures — Occasional  Lectures — 
Distinguished  Visitors— Need  of  Endowment — Funds 
Secured— Attempted  Removal 173 

CHAPTER  XIII.— The  Old  African  Church— A  Historic 
Building — Its  Religious  History — Dr.  Ryland's  Pas- 
torate—Pastorate of  Rev.  James  H.  Holmes 185 

CHAPTER  XIV.— The  Slave  as  a  Man— As  a  Christian--As 

a  Soldier — As  a  Free  Man— Statistics . .  .  198 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  5 

CHAPTER  XV. — Then— Now— Pleasant  Recollections — 
Preaching  to  Phil.  Kearney  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  R.  E. 
Lee  Camp — Visits  Abroad — Beneficiary  Aid — The 
American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  and  its 
Workers 207 

CHAPTER  XVI.— Slow  Progress — Our  Ancestors — The  Bi- 
ble—Work for  the  Lowly— Suffrage— Conclusion.. . .  220 

NOTES 229 

INDEX.  .  .  233 


PREFACE. 


The  facts  pertaining  to  the  founding  of  any  institution  of 
learning  are  always  of  interest  to  those  who  live  afterwards. 
The  experiences  through  which  the  early  laborers  pass ;  their 
struggles  and  their  triumphs  are  instructive  and  stimulating. 
What  may  seem  unimportant  and  not  out  of  the  routine  of  our 
daily  duty  to-day,  may  be  of  intense  interest,  and  also  of  profit 
to  the  generations  that  follow.  This  has  always  been  the  case 
in  the  founding  and  building  up  of  the  Colleges  and  Semina- 
ries of  our  denomination. 

In  view  of  such  considerations  as  these,  it  has  been  consid- 
ered desirable  to  collect  and  record  such  facts  concerning  the 
early  history  of  our  beloved  Richmond  Theological  Seminary, 
as  it  may  be  presumed  will  be  of  interest  in  the  future  to  per- 
sons of  all  classes,  whether  in  the  North  or  in  the  South. 

In  the  providence  of  God,  the  writer  of  this  little  volume 
has  been  permitted  to  continue  in  the  work  for  the  colored 
people  from  the  close  of  the  war  to  the  present  time.  Twenty- 
seven  years  of  this  period  has  been  spent  in  Richmond,  once 
the  Capital  of  the  Southern  Confederacy.  This  volume  con- 
tains more  than  a  mere  history  of  the  growth  of  the  school 
itself;  it  treats  of  matters  that  may  seem  to  some  irrelevant 
and  not  germane  to  the  subject.  Yet,  considering  the  transi- 
tion period  which  followed  the  close  of  the  war,  and  the  feel- 
ings engendered  by  the  changed  relations  of  the  white  and 
colored  races,  it  is  quite  impossible  to  restrict  our  statements 
to  the  mere  details  of  the  growth  of  the  school  from  year  to 
year.  That  this  little  book  may  be  instructive  to  some,  inci- 
dents in  which  the  writer  took  part  at  the  close  of  the  war  are 
referred  to.  Facts  of  interest  and  statistics  are  given.  None 
of  these  points  can  be  elaborated  in  a  volume  of  this  kind,  and 
they  can  be  only  hinted  at.  Exacting  professional  duties  have 


PREFACE.  7 

claimed  the  attention  of  the  writer  to  so  great  a  degree  that 
only  the  mere  fragments  of  time  could  be  given  to  this  work. 
Dr.  Simmons  and  Dr.  Morehouse  have  kindly  consented  to  the 
publishing  of  extracts  from  their  official  correspondence.  Drs. 
Parker,  Peck,  Backus,  Taylor,  Bishop,  and  Cutting,  iinder  all 
of  whom  the  writer  served  officially,  have  passed  away.  He 
has  not,  therefore,  felt  at  liberty  to  use  many  of  their  letters. 
In  all  letters  from  which  extracts  have  been  made,  the  desire 
has  been  to  convey  information,  to  enforce  a  point,  or  to  teach 
a  lesson. 

Some  portions  of  this  book  refer  so  exclusively  to  scenes  in 
which  the  writer  took  part  that  they  may  appear  to  be  im- 
modestly personal.  This  could  not  well  be  avoided,  and  the 
writer  begs  that  this  defect  may  be  overlooked.  No  attempt  is 
here  made  to  give  a  history  of  the  great  work  done  by  Baptists 
for  the  colored  people  of  the  South.  The  origin  and  progress 
of  their  work  is  fully  described  in  the  publications  which  are 
issued,  from  time  to  time,  by  the  American  Baptist  Home 
Mission  Society,  and  by  the  other  societies  engaged  in  this 
work. 

Rev.  Charles  Carleton  Coffin,  the  "  Carleton  "  of  the  Boston 
Journal,  during  the  late  war,  from  wThose  writings  some  extracts 
are  made,  is  an  author  of  note,  and  his  works  have  been  widely 
read. 

Some  statistics  change  with  each  passing  year,  and  some  of 
those  which  are  given  may  not  be  fully  up  to  date.  Others, 
taken  from  the  public  press,  cannot  be  properly  verified,  and 
may  be  exaggerated. 

The  Commissioner  of  Education  and  the  War  Department, 
at  Washington,  have  kindly  furnished  information  and  statis- 
tics, and  for  this  service  acknowledgements  are  gratefully 
made. 

It  has  been  impossible  to  hear  from  all  of  our  old  students, 
and  this  part  of  the  work  is  necessarily  incomplete.  The 
writer  strove,  through  the  public  press  and  by  circulars,  to 
reach  every  ministerial  student  connected  with  the  School 
from  the  year  1868  to  the  present  year.  Replies  to  the  ques- 


8  PREFACE. 

tions  asked  came  to  hand  from  about  one  in  every  ten.  The 
address  of  many  could  not  be  ascertained.  Many  more,  whose 
modesty  prevented  them  from  furnishing  the  desired  informa- 
tion, have  done  a  noble  work  for  Christ,  and  are  highly  honored 
and  greatly  beloved.  Many  have  finished  their  work  and  have 
gone  to  their  reward. 

No  attempt  has  been  made  to  tabulate  the  work  or  to  sketch 
the  career  of  a  number  of  former  pupils  who  have  entered 
upon  professional  and  business  life.  Some  have  already  won 
for  themselves  distinction  in  the  legal  and  medical  professions. 
Others,  as  bankers,  teachers  and  business  men,  are  achieving 
success  as  well  as  proving  themselves  useful  and  valuable  mem- 
bers of  society. 

If  there  be  found  in  some  of  the  extracts  from  the  letters 
and  writers  quoted  expressions  and  sentiments  with  which  the 
reader  cannot  agree,  it  must  be  remembered  that  these  are  in- 
troduced, not  to  provoke  controversy  nor  to  engender  strife, 
but  for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  information.  He  who  would 
intentionally  do  anything  to  widen  the  breach  between  the 
two  races  is  a  friend  to  neither. 

With  thanks  to  all  who  have  in  any  way  contributed  to 
make  this  little  volume  what  it  is,  it  is  sent  forth  to  the  public 
with  a  desire  that  it  may  directly  and  indirectly  promote  the 
material  and  spiritual  improvement  of  the  people  to  whose  up- 
building thirty  of  the  best  years  of  a  lifetime  have  been  given. 


INTRODUCTION. 


As  an  usher,  I  gladly  open  the  door  for  the  read- 
ers of  this  volume.  It  is  a  simple  story,  simply 
told ;  it  is  a  true  story,  truthfully  told.  It  is  not  in- 
tended to  occupy  a  large  place  in  the  great  world  of 
literature.  The  circle  it  addresses  embraces  those 
few  choice  spirits  who  are  the  conscientious  and 
consistent  friends  of  our  "Brother  in  Black." 
That  circle,  whether  we  consider  it  as  embracing 
those  devoted  to  the  religious  or  the  educational, 
the  political  or  the  social  well  being  of  the  Ameri- 
can negro,  has  never  been  so  large  as  it  should  be. 
Quality,  rather  than  numbers,  has  marked  it.  The 
elect  of  Grod  and  the  brothers  to  humanity,  how- 
ever, will  read  with  throbbing  hearts  this  interest- 
ing recital  of  self-sacrificing  service  for  the  lowly. 

The  historian  of  the  future  will  need  this  book. 
It  recounts,  step  by  step,  the  course  of  progress  the 
long  subject  race  has  pursued  since  the  days  of  its 
emancipation.  That  progress,  so  rapid  and  marvel- 
lous, has  delighted  the  friends  and  confounded  the 
foes  of  its  regeneration  and  uplifting.  The  human 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

causes  of  that  progress  have  been,  not  so  much  the 
enactments  of  Congress  and  of  State  Legislatures, 
as  the  benefactions  of  a  few  philanthropists  and  the 
gifts  of  a  respectable  number  of  earnest  Christians 
who  founded  schools;  and,  most  of  all,  the  diffi- 
cult, discriminating  and  self-forgetting  exertions  of 
the  Christ-like  men  who  have  directed  and  taught 
in  those  schools. 

The  history  of  the  Richmond  Theological  Semi- 
nary is  a  worthy  history.  Its  teachers  have  been 
competent  and  well  qualified ;  its  course  of  study 
has  been  wide  and  thorough ;  its  pupils  have  done 
well  within  its  walls  and  even  better  beyond  them  ; 
its  atmosphere  has  been  clean  and  pure ;  its  influ- 
ence has  been  for  all  that  ennobles  the  colored 
man,  without  the  slightest  hostility  to  the  white 
man.  These  pages  will  bring  peculiar  pleasure  to 
the  Seminary's  many  friends.  They  will  add  to 
the  number  of  its  friends.  They  will  bless  the 
souls  of  all  who  read  them  by  drawing  them  nearer 
to  the  heart  of  Christ. 

"As  the  pastor  of  the  author  for  many  years,  I 
may  be  allowed  to  say  that  his  pure  life,  his  conse- 
crated zeal,  his  sound  judgment,  his  prudent  coun- 
sel, his  amiable  temper  and  consummate  tact  have 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

won  for  him  the  confidence  and  admiration  of  both 
races  in  this  community.  He  has  pursued  the  even 
tenor  of  his  way  between  extremists,  among  both 
blacks  and  whites.  Criticism  has  never  discouraged 
him ;  condemnation  could  not  cow  his  spirit ;  com- 
mendation never  elated  him ;  congratulations  only 
bowed  him  in  humility  or  caused  a  tear  of  joy  to 
rise  in  his  eyes.  If  in  this  book  he  has  found  it 
necessary  to  write  of  himself,  he  has  had  regard  to 
what  loyalty  to  the  facts  of  the  case  called  for,  with- 
out the  remotest  wish  to  claim  any  credit  for  him- 
self. 

The   blessing   of   God   be   upon   all    those    into 
whose  hands  this  book  may  come. 

WM.  W.  LAKDRUM. 

Richmond,  Va.,  March  26th,  1895. 


LIST  OF  PLATES. 


Frontispiece,  President  Charles  H.  Corey. 

Lumpkin's  Jail 47 

First  African  Baptist  Church 61 

Graduating  Class,  1892 85 

Richmond  Theological  Seminary 89 

Graduating  Class,  1893 109 

Rev  James  H.  Holmes 133 

Joseph  Endom  Jones,  D.  D 157 

David  Nathaniel  Vassar,  D.  D. .   181 

George  Rice  Hovey,  A.  M 205 


H  ISTORY 

OF 

RlCHMONDTHEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY, 


CHAPTER  I. 


Rome  Matters  Personal — The  United  States  Christian 
Commission — Schools  for  Colored  Soldiers  at  Port 
Hudson — Getting  out  of  the  Red  Elver. 

T  T  may  not  be  unpardonable  to  make  some  refer- 
•*•  ences  to  the  years  the  writer  passed  before  com- 
mencing work  in  the  South.  The  statements  must  be 
brief  without  any  filling  in  of  detail.  Brought  up  in 
one  of  the  back  settlements  of  Canada,  I  did  not 
know  what  a  newspaper  was  until  I  was  fourteen 
years  of  age.  Being  nearly  a  hundred  miles  from 
any  city,  and  with  no  railroad  communication,  my 
opportunities  for  securing  an  education  were  but 
limited.  I,  however,  succeeded  in  making  due 
preparation,  and  entered  Acadia  College  (now  Aca- 
dia  University),  ^ova  Scotia,  in  1854,  and  was 
graduated  therefrom  in  1858.  Rev.  E.  A.  Crawley, 
D.  D.,  LL.D.,  when  I  entered,  was  president.  He 
was  a  courtly  gentleman,  a  ripe  scholar  and  finished 


14  HISTORY  OF  THE 

orator.  Rev.  J.  M.  Cramp,  B.  I).,'  distinguished  as 
a  polemical  and  historical  writer,  was  my  teacher  in 
Theology.  In  public  and  private  life  I  heard  much 
concerning  "Wilberforce,  and  the  emancipation  of 
the  slaves  in  the  West  Indies.  Dr.  Crawley,  who 
afterwards  during  the  war  was  the  teacher  in  a 
young  ladies'  seminary  in  South  Carolina,  often- 
times in  my  student  days  was  grandly  eloquent  in 
his  denunciations  of  the  United  States  for  holding 
so  many  millions  in  bondage.  From  these  teachers 
of  strong  English  type,  who  were  familiar  with  the 
efforts  of  England  in  the  work  of  emancipation,  I 
was  led  to  sympathize  with  those  in  bondage,  and 
was  prepared  in  a  measure  for  what  carne  to  be  my 
life  work.  From  Prof.  A.  P.  S.  Stuart,  a  rare  in- 
structor, and  from  Rev.  A.W.  Sawyer,  D.  D.,  LL.D., 
the  present  efficient  and  beloved  President  of  the 
University,  was  received  a  fondness  for  intellectual 
and  literary  work  which  has  not  left  me  during  the 
excitement  and  activities  of  five  and  thirty  years  of 
public  life. 

During  the  spring  of  1861,  in  the  last  year  of  my 
course  at  Xewton  Theological  Institution,  which  I 
entered  in  1858,  were  heard  the  rumblings,  which 
were  the  forerunners  of  the  oncoming  storm  of  war. 
In  July,  1861,  a  few  days  after  being  graduated 
from  Newton  Theological  Institution,  I  became  pas- 
tor of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Seabrook,  N.  H., 
where  I  remained  until  1864. 

The  war  came  on.     All  over  the  land  was  heard 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  15 

the  tramp  of  marshalling  armies.  In  front  of  the 
church  where  I  preached  young  men  were  drilling. 
News  was  flashed  across  the  wires  of  bloody  battles, 
now  victory,  now  defeat.  Members  of  my  own 
congregation  were  among  the  slain.  Several  trips 
were  made  to  the  front  to  look  after  these  and 
after  other  soldiers.  An  organization  known  as 
the  United  States  Christian  Commission  had  been 
formed.  Its  delegates  were  to  assist  in  looking 
after  the  dying  on  battle-fields,  to  carry  comfort 
to  thes  ick  and  wounded  in  the  hospitals,  and  to 
communicate  with  the  friends  of  sick  or  dead  sol- 
diers. 

Stirred  by  the  exciting  events  of  the  hour,  on  the 
first  of  January,  1864,  I  gave  up  the  charge  of  my 
church,  and  entered  permanently  into  the  service 
of  the  United  States  Christian  Commission.  My 
point  of  destination  was  New  Orleans.  Thence  I 
pushed  on  to  "  the  front "  at  Indianola,  Texas. 
When  the  troops  withdrew  from  that  place,  I  fol- 
lowed them  up  the  Rio  Grande  to  Brownsville. 
When  our  work  was  done  there,  after  a  brief  visit 
to  Matamoras,  Mexico,  I  returned  to  New  Orleans, 
and  was  ordered  to  Port  Hudson,  on  the  Missis- 
sippi, where  I  first  came  in  contact  with  educational 
workers  among  the  colored  people.  With  a  letter 
of  introduction  from  Chaplain  T.  M.  Conway  to 
Rev.  E.  S.  Wheeler  (now  of  Boston),  Chaplain  of 
the  Eighth  Regiment  Corps  d'Afrique,  and  to  Lieu- 
tenant R.  G.  Seymour  (now  the  Rev.  R.  G.  Sey- 


16  HISTORY  OF  THE 

mour,  D.  D.,  of  Lowell,  Mass.),  I  arrived  at  Port 
Hudson  in  April,  1864. 

At  this  place  systematic  work  had  been  com- 
menced for  the  education  of  the  large  number  of 
colored  soldiers  stationed  at  the  Post.  Captain 
Pease  was  in  charge  of  the  work  of  instruction  of 
the  Corps  d'Afrique.  Chaplain  Wheeler,  of  the 
80th  United  States  Colored  Infantry,  had  built  in 
January,  1864,  a  school-house.  Lieutenant  R.  G. 
Seymour,  of  the  79th  Regiment  of  United  States 
Colored  Infantry,  built  a  school-house  for  his  regi- 
ment which  was  dedicated  February  6th,  1864.  It 
is  recorded  in  Chaplain  Wheeler's  private  diary, 
April  10th,  1864 :  "  Brother  C.  H.  Corey,  of  the 
Christian  Commission,  preached  in  the  camp  of  the 
3d  Massachusetts  Cavalry,  and  visited  the  School." 
Associated  with  Mr.  Wheeler  and  Captain  Pease  in 
loyal  service  for  the  country,  and  incidentally  in 
behalf  of  those  colored  veterans,  were  some  well- 
known  ministers  of  the  Baptist  denomination — Dr. 
Chase,  of  Philadelphia;  Dr.  Seymour,  of  Lowell, 
and  Dr.  Brouner,  of  New  York. 

Chaplain  Wheeler,  from  whose  report  to  Captain 
Pease  I  am  courteously  permitted  to  quote,  under 
date  of  March  31st,  1864,  says:  "  I  am  most  heart- 
ily pleased  with  the  earnestness  and  spirit  of  the 
men  in  overcoming  the  ignorance  to  which  they 
have  been  subjected."  In  a  report  to  Brigadier- 
General  L.  Thomas,  he  states  that  "  the  Orderly 
Sergeants,  who  four  months  ago  were  unable  to 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  17 

distinguish  an  alphabetical  character,  are  now  able 
to  transact  considerable  company  business,  having 
learned  to  read  and  write  well."  Captain  Pease, 
Corps  Instructor,  testified  to  the  enthusiasm  and 
success  with  which  the  soldiers  pursued  their  stud- 
ies, and  stated  to  me  that  they  took  as  readily  to 
books  and  to  military  tactics  as  the  white  soldiers. 
Dr.  Wheeler,  in  a  recent  letter  respecting  the  School- 
house  above  referred  to,  says  :  "  I  procured  an  or- 
der from  our  Division  Commander,  General  Daniel 
Ullman,  permitting  me  to  tear  down  an  old  cotton- 
gin  building  outside  of  the  fortifications,  and  erect 
it  in  a  modified  form  in  the  rear  of  my  tent,  and 
there  the  men  were  not  only  instructed  in  a  com- 
mon school  way,  but  religious  services  were  usually 
held  in  it,  by  both  officers  and  men."  *  *  "  Many  of. 
those  colored  soldiers  made  astonishing  progress 
while  under  our  care,  eliciting  most  thoroughly  the 
praise  of  their  superior  officers."  He  continues  : 

"The  Hon.  Orren  McFadden,  who  finally  became 
Lieutenant-Colonel  of  our  Regiment,  and  who  now 
resides  in  Cedar  Grove,  Maine,  would  join  me,  I  am 
sure,  in  the  warmest  commendations  of  those  men, 
whom  he  often  referred  to,  in  my  presence,  as  '  ex- 
hibiting the  most  consummate  bravery,  manliness, 
and  intelligence.' ' 

My  visit  to  Port  Hudson  made  impressions  re- 
specting this  work  which  were  never  removed. 

While  at  Port  Hudson  news  came  of  defeat  and 
repulse  up  the  Red  River.  General  Banks  had 


18  HISTORY  OF  THE 

fallen  back,  and  in  consequence  of  falling  water 
some  of  his  gunboats  could  not  get  below  Alexan- 
dria. On  arriving  at  this  city  I  found  thousands  of 
men.  Here  was  a  fine  field  for  Christian  activity. 
Preaching,  prayer-meetings,  personal  interviews 
with  soldiers,  white  and  colored,  hospital  service, 
and  so  on,  absorbed  all  of  my  energies. 

Finally  the  enemy  got  below  us,  cut  off  our  com- 
munications, destroyed  some  of  our  transports,  and 
planted  batteries  on  the  river  banks.  From  two  to 
three  thousand  men,  for  ten  or  twelve  days  and 
nights,  worked  under  the  leadership  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Joseph  Bailey,*  of  the  4th  Wisconsin  Vol- 
unteers, "  often  up  to  their  waists,  and  even  to  their 
necks  in  the  water,"  until  a  dam  was  thrown  partly 
.across  the  river,  which  was  758  feet  wide  above 
Alexandria.  By  this  means  a  sluice-way  was  formed. 
Our  situation  was  growing  desperate ;  our  sick  were 
increasing,  and  we  were  on  short  rations ;  our  gun- 
boats were  unable  to  move,  and  the  entire  force  was 
imperilled.  The  dam  was  fortunately  a  success. 
On  a  beautiful  summer  evening  the  gunboats  swung 
from  their  moorings,  and  passed  successfully  through 
the  sluice-way,  to  the  delight  of  cheering  thousands 
who  stood  beholding  that  thrilling  spectacle,  ^"ext 
morning  I  strolled  along  the  river  bank  which  was 

*  For  the  valuable  services  rendered  to  the  fleet  in  this  hour 
of  great  danger,  this  officer  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Brig- 
adier-General, and  received  the  thanks  of  Congress.  See  "  The 
Gulf  and  Inland  Waters,"  by  Commander  Mahan  of  U.  S.  Navy. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  19 

lined  with  negro  women  and  children;  bales  of  cot- 
ton were  thrown  down  the  steep  embankment  and 
destroyed ;  the  street  was  filled  with  moving  army 
wagons.  Presently  a  huge  black  smoke  was  ob- 
served rolling  heavily  upward. 

The  city  was  soon  wrapped  in  flames;  houses, 
stores,  churches,  everything  seemed  on  fire ;  wo- 
men and  children  were  in  tears,  and  the  transports 
blew  their  whistles.  I  hastened  through  crowded 
streets,  dodging  among  teams  and  infantry  and  gal- 
loping couriers,  just  in  time  to  reach  the  Chauteau, 
the  hospital  boat  to  which  I  had  been  assigned,  be- 
fore she  steamed  out  of  danger.  The  fire  was  of 
incendiary  origin,  and  General  Banks  sent  men  to 
extinguish  it.  The  land  forces  had  marched  early 
in  the  day.  Towards  evening  the  fleet,  consisting 
of  about  fifty  vessels,  including  gunboats  and  trans- 
ports, moved  slowly  down  the  river,  until  we  tied 
up  for  the  night.  In  the  morning  the  infantry  tried 
to  cat  its  way  across  the  country,  a  cloud  of  dust 
marking  the  line  they  took.  The  fleet  moved  cau- 
tiously down  the  river.  The  silence  of  those 
wooded  shores  was  repeatedly  broken  by  volleys 
poured  into  us  by  those  concealed  by  earthworks 
on  the  bank.  We  finally  reached  Atchafalaya 
Bayou  which  the  army  crossed  over,  and  we  on  the 
transports  eventually  reached  New  Orleans  in  safety. 


20  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  II. 


Morris  Island — Entry  into  Charleston — Incidents — A 
Sunrise  Prayer- Meeting — The  First  Sermon — The 
Dead  Officer— The  Disgusted  Officer— A  Mock 
Auction — Incidents — The  Old  Flag  Back — Resolu- 
tions— Departure. 

77  Summer  in  New  England  and  the  Maritime 
®^  Provinces  recruited  exhausted  energies  and 
restored  shattered  health. 

The  late  Nathan  Bishop,  LL.D.,  of  honored 
memory,  had  charge  of  the  New  York  branch  of 
the  United  States  Christian  Commission,  and  under 
his  supervision  I  was  sent  to  the  Department  of  the 
South,  and  made  my  headquarters  before  Charles- 
ton, on  Morris  Island.  Here  was  spent  the  fall  of 
1864,  and  the  early  part  of  1865.  Distributing 
reading  matter  to  the  fleet  and  preaching  to  the 
soldiers,  many  of  whom  were  colored,  occupied  my 
time.  It  was  here  that  the  siege  of  Charleston  had 
been  commenced  on  the  21st  ot  August,  1863,  by 
the  opening  of  the  "Swamp  Angel"  Battery.  It 
was  here  on  the  7th  of  September  following  that 
the  gallant  and  lamented  Shaw,  Colonel  of  the  54th 
Massachusetts  colored  troops,  fell  at  the  capture  of 
Fort  Wagner. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  21 

The  Confederates  refused  to  give  up  his  body. 
He  lies  there  buried  beside  his  brave  soldiers  who 
followed  him  to  death  and  glory,  "  having  won  an 
immortal  name,  no  less  as  the  commander  of  the 
first  negro  regiment  sent  to  the  war,  than  by  his 
gentle  bearing  as  a  man  and  bravery  as  a  soldier." 
The  following  concerning  Colonel  Shaw  is  taken 
from  A.  D.  Mayo,  I).  D.,  in  his  "New  Education 
in  the  New  South  :  " 

"Years  ago  one  of  the  bravest  of  the  young 
commanders  in  the  national  army,  Colonel  Shaw, 
of  the  city  of  New  York,  fell,  at  the  head  of  his 
brigade  of  colored  soldiers,  in  a  desperate  assault 
on  Fort  Wagner,  during  the  siege  of  Charleston. 
He  was  buried  with  his  men,  and  his  body  was 
never  found.  After  the  close  of  the  war  the  fami- 
lies, in  New  York  and  Boston,  connected  with  the 
fallen  soldier,  built  a  school-house  in  Charleston  for 
colored  children,  established  the  Shaw  School  and 
for  several  years  supported  it  as  a  private  benefi- 
cence. Some  years  since  the  building  was  virtually 
given  to  the  city,  and  all  the  funds  of  the  corpora- 
tion passed  over  for  its  enlargement ;  and  now  one 
of  the  public  Schools  of  Charleston  bears  the  name 
of  the  New  York  colonel  who  died,  at  the  head  of 
his  black  brigade,  forcing  the  entrance  to  that  be- 
leaguered city. 

"  My  last  visit  was  to  the  Shaw  School,  now  a 
collection  of  several  hundred  children,  with  white 
and  colored  teachers;  the  principal,  like  the  city 


22  HISTORY  OF  THE 

superintendent,  an  officer  in  the  Confederate  army. 
I  was  invited  to  the  great  hall  to  listen  to  some  ex- 
ercises by  the  higher  classes,  prepared,  as  I  under- 
stood, for  their  coming  commencement  exhibition. 
The  first  was  a  recitation,  by  a  hundred  of  the  older 
pupils,  from  Longfellow's  "  Building  of  the  Ship  :  " 

'  Sail  on,  O  Ship  of  State ! 
Sail  on,  O  Union,  strong  and  great 
Humanity  with  all  its  fears, 
With  all  its  hopes  of  future  years, 
Is  hanging  breathless  on  thy  fate  ! 
Our  hearts,  our  hopes,  are  all  with  thee, 
Our  hearts,  our  hopes,  our  prayers,  our  tears, 
Our  faith  triumphant  o'er  our  fears, 
Are  all  with  thee, — are  all  with  thee ! ' 

"  Then,  a  boy  as  black  as  night,  George  Washington 
by  name,  was  summoned  from  his  seat  to  recite  a 
pathetic  poem,  "  The  Dying  Soldier."  It  didn't 
need  comment  to  show  for  what  cause  that  soldier 
died ;  for  the  poem  was  a  most  touching  story  of 
peril  and  suffering,  even  unto  death,  for  the  saving 
of  the  Union.  As  the  soldier  neared  his  end,  he 
called  to  his  companions  for  one  more  of  the  old 
songs  of  the  village  Sunday-school ;  and  the  whole 
body  of  children  took  up  the  theme  and  sung,  with 
a  pathos  only  heard  in  the  tones  of  the  freed  men, 
the  dying  refrain.  The  soldier  breathed  his  last 
with  a  prayer  for  his  country ;  when  the  entire 
crowd  sprang  to  their  feet  and,  led  by  their  teach- 
ers, pealed  forth — 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  23 

'  The  Star  Spangled  Banner,  O  long  may  it  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave ! ' " 

The  winter  on  Morris  Island  was  spent  without 
much  excitement.  There  was  an  occasional  false 
alarm ;  several  blockade  runners  were  captured,  and 
shells  were  frequently  thrown  into  the  city.  Occa- 
sionally a  bullet  from  Fort  Sumter,  seven  hundred 
yards  away,  would  come  whistling  past  the  ear  of 
some  unsuspecting  civilian  or  soldier  who  ventured 
upon  the  parapet  of  Fort  Wagner.  One  soldier 
was  hit  at  that  distance  away,  and  died  from  his 
wounds. 

Fort  Wagner  was  taken  on  the  7th  of  September, 
1863,  and  for  about  fourteen  months  a  slow  bom- 
bardment continued  from  day  to  day  until  about 
thirteen  thousand  shells  had  been  thrown  into  the 
town,  or  about  one  thousand  per  month.  In  the 
month  -of  December,  1864,  Savannah  had  fallen, 
through  Sherman's  famous  march  to  the  sea.  Fi- 
nally Sherman  flanked  Orangeburg,  South  Carolina, 
and  General  Hardee,  who  was  in  command  at  Charles- 
ton, was  compelled  to  evacuate  the  place.  General 
Hardee  remained  in  the  city  until  Friday  night  the 
17th  of  February,  leaving  behind  a  detachment  of 
cavalry  to  destroy  what  stores  he  could  not  remove. 
Colonel  Bennett,  commanding  the  Twenty-First 
Regiment  United  States  colored  troops  on  Morris 
Island,  on  Saturday  morning,  February  18th,  1865, 
hastened  up  the  harbor  in  boats,  and  landed  at 


24  HISTORY  OF  THE 

South  Atlantic  wharf.  A  detachment  of  the  Fifty- 
Fourth  Massachusetts  Regiment  followed.  Some  of 
these  colored  soldiers  had  been  slaves  in  this  very 
city.  Xow,  with  the  old  flag  above  them,  they 
marched  up  the  grass  grown  streets,  past  the  slave 
marts,  where  their  families  and  themselves  had  been 
sold  in  the  public  shambles,  and  laid  aside  their 
arms  and  helped  extinguish  the  flames  of  the  burn- 
ing city.  The  following  extracts  from  a  letter  which 
was  written  on  the  night  of  the  day  we  entered  the 
city  will  give  some  idea  of  the  impression  made  on 
that  occasion : 

"All  last  night  our  gunboats  kept  up  a  continuous 
bombardment.  The  air  was  filled  with  bursting 
shells,  and  the  sky  was  red  with  flame.  This  morn- 
ing calm  and  beautiful  heavy  clouds  of  smoke  rose 
in  the  direction  of  the  city.  The  blowing  up  of 
heavy  guns  and  gunboats  sent  echoes  thundering 
from  island  to  island.  Orders  came  to  pack- and  go 
to  Charleston.  The  sand  hills  on  Morris  Island 
were  lined  with  spectators.  The  sick  and  the  lame 
had  hobbled  out  from  the  hospitals,  and  in  the  still 
morning  air  stood  looking  at  the  dense  clouds  of 
smoke  hanging  over  the  city.  I  had  been  childish 
with  joy  all  the  morning.  When  I  landed,  scenes 
of  indescribable  desolation  were  all  around  me.  In 
the  lower  half  of  the  city  (Gilrnore's  town  as  it  was 
called)  stores  were  open,  private  papers  were  blown 
about  the  streets,  houses  were  shattered  and  roof- 
less, streets  ploughed  up  by  the  bursting  shells,  and 


RICHMOND  THEOLOOICAL  SEMINARY.  25 

steeples  riddled.  Pale,  poorly  clad  and  hungry 
people  were  on  the  streets.  They  received  us  with 
joy.  Men,  white  as  well  as  black,  would  come  to 
me  and  grasp  my  hand.  Sometimes  with  quivering 
lips  and  tearful  eyes  they  would  turn  away  without 
a  word ;  their  hearts  were  too  full  for  utterance. 
When  we  entered  the  city  flour  was  $1,600  per  bar- 
rel. A  man  told  me  he  had  paid  $200  for  five 
pounds  of  sugar.  A  little  boy  told  me  that  his 
shoes  cost  him  $400.  When  a  detachment  of  the 
Fifty-Fourth  Massachusetts  Regiment  (colored)  came 
along,  the  scenes  I  witnessed  transcend  human  pow- 
ers of  description.  It  was  the  first  body  of  colored 
men  in  arms  seen  in  this  city.  The  boys  ran,  and 
old  men  laughed  and  cried  for  joy;  hats  were 
swung,  aprons  and  handkerchiefs  waved.  I  saw 
young  women  dancing,  the  older  ones  shouting  and 
praising  God.  I  stood  and  wept;  so  did  many  a 
rough  soldier ;  so  did  some  of  the  citizens  of  Charles- 
ton. The  negroes  shook  hands,  and  clung  to  the  sol- 
diers and  seemed  almost  wild  with  delight." 

This  was  in  strange  contrast  with  the  scenes 
which  had  taken  place  in  this  city  when  Major 
Anderson,  the  peaceful  Ordnance  Sergeant  in 
charge  in  Charleston  harbor,  was  forced  to  sur- 
render Fort  Sumter,  April  14,  1861.  Then  men 
and  women  were  on  the  house-tops  in  the  city,  and 
gathered  in  the  church  steeples,  bells  were  rung, 
guns  fired,  ladies  waved  their  handkerchiefs.  At 
night  bonfires  glowed  ;  crowds  surged  through  the 


26  HISTORY  OF  THE 

streets,  and  there  was  hilarity  and  carousing,  be- 
cause, as  Governor  Pickens  said.  "  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  have  been  lowered  in  humility  before  the 
glorious  little  State  of  South  Carolina  ?  "  * 

That  night  I  found  quarters  in  the  west  end  of  the 
Citadel  Building,  in  one  of  the  very  rooms  in  which 
secession  had  been  fostered.  There  the  soldiers 
held  a  prayer  meeting,  which  can  never  be  forgot- 
ten. We  had  come  over  from  Morris  Island,  rested 
and  fresh  without  let  or  hindrance,  and  realizing 
that  the  war  must  soon  end,  there  were  prayers  and 
thanksgiving  such  as  are  seldom  heard.  I  quote 
from  the  following  letter,  written  February  20th, 
1865 :  "A  happier  day  I  never  spent.  I  could  not 
sleep;  the  scenes  I  had  witnessed,  the  words  I  had 
heard,  were  still  before  me,  and  the  anticipations 
of  the  coming  Sabbath  rendered  it  next  to  impos- 
sible to  get  any  rest."  Early  I  was  away  to  a  sunrise 
prayer-meeting  among  the  colored  people.  I  was 
the  only  white  man  present.  I  cannot  describe  the 
prayers  and  praise  there  offered.  Said  one,  "  Who 
could  not  praise  the  Lord  this  morning,  who  would 
not  praise  the  Lord  to-day,  who  would  not  praise 
the  Lord  that  we  can  worship  Him  under  our 
own  vine  and  tig  tree,  and  none  shall  make  us 
afraid  ? "  After  the  benediction  they  crowded 
around  me  in  scores,  all  eager  to  grasp  my  hand ; 
they  got  their  hands  around  me,  and  even  about 

*  See  Coffin's  "  Four  Years  of  Fighting,"  p.  457. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  27 

my  neck.  Old  wrinkled,  toothless,  ragged  women 
came  weeping,  and  pressed  through  the  crowd  to 
take  my  hand.  Some  got  on  the  pulpit  stairs  and 
shouted  "  Hallelujah ;  "  some  got  on  the  seats  and 
stood  weeping,  looking  over  to  where  they  crowded 
around  me.  I  saw  men  embrace  each  other,  and 
women,  clasping  hands,  wept  and  laughed  by  turns. 

Said  one  to  me  by  way  of  apology,  "  Excuse  us ; 
this  is  a  happy  day  for  us."  Some  of  the  brethren 
made  three  attempts  before  they  got  me  out  of  this 
throng;  there  were  some  hundreds  present.  One 
old  man  I  saw  weeping;  he  stood  uttering,  with 
intonations  I  cannot  describe,  "Come  at  last,  come 
at  last,  come  at  last." 

"  Similar  expressions  I  heard  on  every  hand.  At 
10  A.  M.  I  went  out  to  find  a  Baptist  meeting.  All 
the  white  congregations  of  our  denomination  are 
scattered  and  the  ministers  are  fled.  So  with  the 
Methodists.  I  went  to  a  group  of  colored  people 
who  had  been  to  a  Baptist  meeting.  They  were 
congratulating  each  other.  '  This  is  the  most 
glorious  day  that  Charleston  has  ever  seen,'  said 
one ;  another,  '  I  shed  more  tears  yesterday  than  I 
ever  did  before  : '  another,  '  I  could  not  speak  to  a 
man  yesterday  without  weeping.'  In  fine,  where- 
ever  I  went  all  seemed  joyousness  and  sunshine. 
The  children  were  full  of  glee ;  the  old  ones  were 
almost  frantic  in  their  demonstrations,  and  the 
religious  were  filled  with  devout  thanksgivings.  In 
the  afternoon  I  preached,  according  to  appointment, 


28  HISTORY  OF  THE 

in  the  spacious  church  where  our  morning  service 
was  held.  I  preached  to  more  than  1500  people, 
black  and  white,  citizens  and  soldiers,  from  Nehe- 
miah  xii,  43,  '  The  joy  of  Jerusalem  was  heard  even 
afar  off.'  This  was  the  first  sermon  preached  in 
the  city  after  its  surrender.  I  never  spoke  to  a 
more  attentive  congregation.  When  I  prayed  for 
the  President  of  the  United  States  there  went  up 
from  nearly  2000  human  beings  such  an  'Amen ' 
as  I  never  heard  before.  But  how  can  I  describe 
all.  Your  imagination  may  aid  you  to  fill  in  the 
blank,  when  you  think  that  these  distressed  thou- 
sands, hungry  and  naked,  as  many  of  them  were, 
at  the  advent  of  the  United  States  forces,  were 
ushered  at  once  into  safety  and  freedom.  The  cir- 
cumstances were  unique,  and  those  present  on  that 
occasion  will  not  readily  forget  it." 

My  duties  as  Delegate  of  the  United  States  Chris- 
tian Commission,  were  to  preach  the  gospel,  to  dis- 
tribute religious  reading  matter,  and  to  render  such 
other  services  to  the  soldiers  as  might  be  needed. 
There  were  many  interesting  incidents  told  by  sol- 
diers, some  of  whom  had  been  in  prison  and  had 
made  their  escape.  I  remember  a  young  soldier 
who  came  into  my  office,  clothed  in  a  suit  of  gray. 
He  had  made  his  escape  from  prison,  and  travelled 
by  night,  and  remained  concealed  by  day.  At  one 
time  an  old  colored  woman  kept  him  hid  for  three 
weeks  under  the  floor  of  her  cabin.  She  killed  the 
last  pig  that  she  owned,  and  purchased  the  suit  of 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  29 

gray  with  the  proceeds  in  order  that  the  young  man, 
by  means  of  it,  might  escape.  There  were  Union 
officers  in  prison  in  Charleston,  some  of  whom, 
from  time  to  time,  made  their  escape.  They  con- 
cealed themselves  in  the  deserted  mansions  in  the 
shelled  portions  of  the  city.  There  was  an  interest- 
ing old  man  left  in  charge  of  one  of  these  mansions 
by  his  master.  He  took  in  one  of  these  escaping 
officers  and  concealed  and  cared  for  him.  The 
officer  was  stricken  down  with  yellow  fever.  Finally 
the  guards  came  to  search  the  premises  for  escaped 
prisoners.  When  the  old  man  heard  that  they  were 
approaching,  he  caught  up  the  sick  man,  carried  him 
up  three  pairs  of  stairs  and  concealed  him  under 
the  roof.  There  he  and  another  colored  man  cared 
for  him  three  weeks,  until  he  died.  There  was  no 
other  alternative  but  to  dig  a  grave  under  the  house 
and  to  bury  him  there.  One  day  we  crawled  under 
the  house  and  they  showed  me  his  grave.  On  the 
following  fall  I  assisted  the  proper  authorities  in 
exhuming  the  body.  We  buried  him  in  Magnolia 
Cemetery. 

The  remains  of  this  officer,  Lieutenant  Reed,  of 
an  Ohio  Regiment,  were  subsequently  transferred 
to  the  National  Cemetery  at  Hilton  Head.  There 
were  several  instances  in  which  we  disinterred  the 
bodies  of  escaping  officers,  who  had  been  cared  for 
by  the  colored  people,  and  who,  becoming  sick,  had 
died  and  were  buried  in  the  yards  of  deserted 
houses. 


30  HISTORY  OF  THE 

As  an  illustration  that  predjudice  existed  even 
among  some  of  the  officers  of  the  Union  army,  I  will 
give  an  incident.  One  day  a  lieutenant  of  a  Western 
regiment  came  into  our  reading-room.  I  noticed 
that  his  straps  were  not  on  his  shoulders.  He 
threw  them  down  upon  the  counter  with  vehemence, 
exclaiming,  "  I  will  never  wear  those  straps  again, 
for  I  have  seen  a  negro  who  outranks  me."  He 
had  seen  on  the  streets  of  Charleston,  Dr.  DeLaney, 
a  very  black  man,  who,  by  virtue  of  his  position  as 
Surgeon,  ranked  as  Major,  and  who,  of  course,  as 
an  officer,  was  his  superior.  I  did  not  then  think 
that  I  should  live  to  see  the  time  when  there  would 
be  more  than  800  colored  physicians  in  the  United 
States. 

During  the  month  of  March  the  colored  people 
held  a  Jubilee  celebration  in  which  about  5,000  par- 
ticipated. I  remember  among  other  things  a  cart 
containing  an  auction  block,  with  negroes  for  sale. 
The  mock  auctioneers  had  many  bids,  some  as  high 
as  $15,000.  An  old  woman  ran  screaming  after  the 
cart,  feigning  lamentations  for  her  unfortunate 
"  Chil'en."  One  old  woman  said  as  we  passed  by  : 
"  Mine  all  gone— sold  in  State  Street — not  one  left 
to  close  my  eyes."  There  was  sadness  in  her  tone 
and  tears  in  her  eyes.  There  were  in  the  proces- 
sion light-skinned  and  beautiful  girls,  with  fair  and 
flowing  hair,  linked  hand  in  hand  with  black  and 
curly  headed  ones,  moving  on  in  loving  companion- 
ship with  the  rejoicing  multitude. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  31 

It  is  not  surprising  that  there  were  strong  feelings 
and  forceful  expressions  of  the  same  among  the  peo- 
ple of  Charleston,  concerning  the  people  of  the 
North.  An  old  gentleman,  belonging  to  one  of  the 
old  families  of  Charleston,  was  accustomed  to  fre- 
quent our  rooms  to  read  the  papers  always  kept  on 
file.  One  day,  in  explaining  the  teasori  of  the  ex- 
cessive heat,  he  said  it  was  "  because  there  were  so 
many  emissaries  from  Hell  in  Charleston."  On 
being  asked  to  whom  he  referred,  he  replied,  "Why, 
you — you — ;"  he  saw  his  dilemma,  and  the  sen- 
tence remained  unfinished. 

My  office  was  next  to  the  Charleston  Hotel.  On 
returning  from  service  one  night,  I  heard  a  great 
commotion.  Officers  were  shouting;  some  were 
standing  on  the  counter,  some  singing,  some  crying 
for  joy;  others  were  hugging  each  other,  and  some 
astride  the  necks  of  others.  I  asked,  "  What  is  the 
matter  ?  What  does  all  this  mean  ?  "  Said  they, 
"  Have  you  not  heard  the  news  ?  Lee  has  surren- 
dered." There  were  cheers,  songs  and  rejoicings 
until  a  late  hour. 

The  following  letter  written  a  few  weeks  later, 
April  17th,  after  I  had  seen  the  same  flag,  which 
was  shot  from  its  staff  in  1861,  restored  to  its  place, 
by  the  gallant  defender  who  was  in  command  when 
Sumter  fell.  I  leave  it  to  the  reader's  imagination 
to  contrast  the  changed  conditions  and  relations  of 
the  people  of  Charleston  on  these  two  ever  memo- 
rable occasions  : 


32  HISTORY  OF  THE 

"  Last  Friday  was  a  great  day  here.  Hundreds 
of  visitors  were  on  from  the  North.  The  city  was 
alive  with  excitement,  At  10  A.  M.  the  steamers 
were  in  readiness  to  take  us  to  Fort  Sumter.  Seats 
and  decorations  had  been  prepared,  and  hundreds 
of  army  and  navy  officers  with  invited  guests  were 
anxiously  awaiting  the  appearance  of  the  orator, 
Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher.  At  last  he  came. 
Prayer  was  offered  accompanied  by  the  Amens  of 
thousands.  Mr.  Beecher  delivered  an  impassioned 
and  eloquent  oration.  The  "  old  flag,"  which  was 
lowered  four  years  ago,  was  then  taken  from  its 
hiding  place  and  attached  to  the  rope.  Major- 
General  Anderson  delivered  a  brief  and  impressive 
address.  The  tears  were  rolling  down  the  old 
hero's  cheeks.  He  then,  proceeded  to  raise  the 
flag  to  its  place.  Such  a  scene  I  never  expect  to 
witness  again.  Every  heart  was  moved.  I  think 
that  there  was  scarcely  a  person  who  did  not  weep. 
Then  the  air  was  rent  with  cheers,  and  the  cannon 
boomed.  Every'fort  that  tired  on  Fort  Sumter  four 
years  ago  saluted  the  flag,  as  did  all  the  vessels  in 
the  harbor. 

I  stood  on  the  parapet  and  witnessed  the  whole, 
with  emotions  not  to  be  described.  What  increased 
the  depth  of  the  feeling  manifested  by  all  was  the 
reception  that  morning  of  the  news  that  Lee  and 
his  army  had  surrendered.  The  next  day  there 
was  a  large  meeting  which  called  out  thousands  of 
whites  and  blacks.  George  Thompson,  of  England  ; 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  33 

Judge  Kelly,  of  Pennsylvania;  Theodore  Tilton, 
arid  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  the  great  Abolitionist, 
were  among  the  speakers.  Such  a  meeting  I  have 
never  seen  and  can  never  see  again,  for  the  circum- 
stances can  never  occur  again.  All  who  spoke  gave 
all  the  glory  to  God.  After  the  meeting,  the  col- 
ored children  singing  "  John  Brown's  Body  Lies  a 
Mouldering,"  with  waving  of  handkerchiefs  escorted 
the  speakers  to  the  Charleston  Hotel.  Henry  Ward 
Beecher  preached  on  Sunday  to  three  or  four 
thousand  people.  Only  think,  Garrison,  Beecher, 
Thompson,  and  Tilton  speaking  here  in  this  city. 
What  changes  four  years  have  wrought." 

As  I  was  about  to  leave  Charleston,  the  following, 
which  explains  itself,  was  placed  in  my  hands  : 

WENTWORTH  ST.  BAPTIST  CHURCH,  May  14th,  1865. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  members  of  this  church  and  congrega' 
tion,  held  this  day  after  morning  service,  Mr.  W.  N.  Hughes 
was  called  to  the  chair,  and  Mr.  W.  J.  Heriot  appointed  Secre- 
tary. Tho  following  preamble  and  resolutions,  offered  by 
Deacon  W.  B.  Heriot,  were  unanimously  adopted  : 

Whereas,  the  Rev.  Charles  H.  Corey,  agent  of  the  United 
States  Christian  Commission  has,  for  several  months  past, 
taken  charge  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Wentworth  Street,  in 
the  city  of  Charleston,  during  which  time  he  has,  without 
pecuniary  compensation,  regularly  maintained  public  worship 
therein  on  each  successive  Sabbath,  and  having,  by  the  cour- 
teousness  of  his  demeanor,  the  usefulness  of  his  instructions, 
the  exemplariness  of  his  character,  and  the  interest  he  has 
manifested  in  the  welfare  of  our  church,  most  justly  entitled 
himself  to  our  high  esteem  and  deep  gratitude ;  and  whereas, 
Mr.  Corey  has  informed  us  that  his  appointed  duties  will  in 


34  HISTORY  OF  THE 

future  prevent  him  from  continuing  to  perform  services  at  our 
church  ;  therefore  we,  the  members  of  the  church  and  congre- 
gation, who  have  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  Mr.  Corey's  acquaint- 
ance and  Christian  ministry,  deem  it  a  duty  we  owe  to  our- 
selves to  give  expression  to  our  feelings  on  this  occasion.  And 
to  that  intent  we  do  unanimously  resolve  as  follows : 

1.  That  our  heartfelt  thanks  are  justly  due  and  are  hereby 
cordiall}'  tendered  to  the  Rev.  Charles  H.  Corey,  for  the  minis- 
terial services  he  has  so  cheerfully  and  acceptably  performed 
in  our  church  during  the  past  few  months. 

2.  That  we  have  learned   with   regret  that  the  appointed 
duties  of  Mr.  Corey  will  hereafter  prevent  him  from  continuing 
his  services  at  our  church ;   and  that  the   best   wishes  and 
prayers  are,  that  he  may  continue  in  health  and  be  abundantly 
prospered  in  the  good  work  in  which  he  is  so  faithfully  en- 
gaged, wherever,  in  the  providence  of  God,  his  lot  may  be  cast. 

3.  That  a  copy  of  this  preamble  and  resolutions  be  trans- 
mitted to  Mr.  Corey  over  the  signatures  of  the  Chairman  and 
Secretary  of  this  meeting. 

W.  N.  HUGHES,  Chairman. 
W.  J.  HERIOT,  Secretary. 

After  closing  up  all  the  offices  of  the  United 
States  Christian  Commission  in  the  Department  of 
the  South  our  footsteps  were  turned  homeward. 
Arrangements  completed,  our  noble  steamer  swung 
away  from  the  dock  at  Hilton  Head,  the  point  of 
departure  of  government  steamers,  amid  the  cheers 
of  hundreds  of  war-worn  veterans,  who  now  flushed 
with  victory,  after  four  years  of  absence,  were  re- 
turning to  quiet  homes  nestling  among  New  Eng- 
gland  hills  or  dotting  western  prairies.  The  soldiers 
sang  their  old  camp  songs,  and  the  dear  old  hymns 
sung  around  the  fireside  at  home.  There  were 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  35 

teachers  returning  to  rest  awhile  from  their  toils ; 
and  sailors,  and  soldiers,  and  preachers,  and  Chris- 
tian Commission  men,  all  of  whom  mingled  in  de- 
lightful converse. 

At  night  the  stars  from  their  silent  thrones  smiled 
serenely  upon  a  grateful  and  happy  throng.  Many 
had  been  anxious  to  take  some  trophy  from  the  field, 
a  remembrance  of  the  camp-fire,  or  a  keepsake  from 
the  sunny  clime.  So  there  were  mocking  birds, 
guinea  pigs,  poodles,  kittens,  turtles  and  snakes  on 
board.  Finally,  New  York  was  approached.  How 
gracefully  the  clouds  sailed  along  the  morning  sky, 
and  cast  their  shadows  on  the  distant  shores  !  How 
grateful  after  the  dangers  and  excitements  of  the 
field  was  the  perfume  stealing  over  the  waters  on 
the  invigorating  breezes  from  the  distant  clover 
fields  !  How  pleasant  to  be  far  from  the  hoarse  dis- 
cords of  war  and  the  carnage  of  the  battle-field ! 
Our  eyes  were  no  longer  to  look  upon  the  windrows 
of  the  slain,  nor  upon  streams  and  harbors  crim- 
soned with  fraternal  blood.  The  angel  of  peace 
had  spread  her  white  wings  over  mountains  and 
valleys,  and  joy  and  gladness  filled  all  the  land. 


86  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  III. 


Missionary  Work  in  South  Carolina — Condition  of  the 
Churches — Church  Organized  in.  the  Woods — On 
the  Sea  Islands — Rev.  T.  Willard  Lewis  and  other 
Methodist  Workers — Statistics — The  Augusta  Insti- 
tute. 

PvURING  the  spring  of  1865,  Rev.  Dr.  Lathrop 
^  and  J.  W.  Hoyt  visited  Charleston,  and  seeing 
the  wide  field  of  usefulness  that  was  presented 
among  the  colored  people  urged  me  to  continue  in 
the  South,  and  to  commence  labor  among  them. 
Accordingly,  in  the  autumn  of  1865,  my  wife  and  I 
sailed  for  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  Here  I  com- 
menced my  labors  under  the  auspices  of  the  Amer- 
ican Baptist  Home  Mission  Society.  In  addition  to 
preaching  in  the  city,  where  I  assisted  in  organizing 
churches,  I  made  trips  to  the  interior  of  the  State- 
establishing  churches  and  ordaining  ministers.  Rev. 
James  Hamilton,  a  colored  brother  from  Philadel- 
phia, and  others  assisted  me  in  some  of  these  ser- 
vices. The  colored  members  in  most  instances 
belonged  to  the  white  churches.  In  some  places, 
however,  there  was  not  a  single  white  member  of 
a  church  among  the  whites  to  be  found.  At  George- 
town there  was  only  one,  the  clerk,  and  he  lived 
fourteen  miles  out  of  town.  Churches  were  oro-an- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  37 

ized  and  ministers  ordained  in  all  the  important 
cities  and  villages  of  the  State.  At  Camden,  Rev. 
Mr.  Boy  kin  was  ordained.  One  of  his  sons,  at  that 
time  unborn,  has  since  grown  to  manhood,  and 
taken  his  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Divinity  at  the 
Richmond  Theological  Seminary.  At  Chester  a 
church  was  organized. 

It  was  also  desirable  to  establish  a  church  in  an 
outlying  community.  The  brethren  were  fearful  of 
violence  in  those  unsettled  times,  and  determined 
upon  a  journey  by  night  as  the  only  possible  course 
to  pursue.  Accordingly  we  started  at  nine  o'clock 
and  travelled  nearly  twenty  miles,  some  on  horse- 
back and  some  in  wagons,  in  the  wintry  night.  On 
Sunday  morning,  around  an  open  fire  in  the  woods, 
we  organized  the  Pilgrim  Baptist  Church,  and  or- 
dained Rev.  Sancho  Sanders  as  its  pastor.  We 
returned  to  our  starting  place,  passing  through 
Chester  on  Sunday  night  in  the  darkness.  Trips 
were  made  on  foot,  on  horseback,  by  steamers,  and 
in  row  boats.  Along  the  railroads  it  was  no  un- 
common thing  to  see  the  railroad  rails  bent  and 
twisted  in  the  form  of  U.  S.,  showing  that  Uncle 
Sam  had  put  his  mark  upon  the  places  through 
which  his  armies  had  marched.  Visits  were  made 
to  Edisto,  Wadmelaw  and  James  Islands,  and 
churches  were  established.  Oftentimes  a  number 
of  brethren  accompanied  me.  We  rowed  for  many 
miles,  and  the  weird  songs  of  the  boatmen,  with 
bared  head,  feet  and  arms,  floated  far  over  the  calm 


38  HISTORY  OF  THE 

waters.  From  a  number  of  churches  established 
at  this  time  students  for  the  ministry  have  come  to 
the  school  at  Richmond.  A  number  of  faithful 
and  devoted  men,  who  were  placed  in  charge  of 
these  churches,  have  gone  to  their  reward.  Some 
of  them  were  eminently  holy  and  consecrated,  and 
the  influence  of  their  lives  and  ministry  is  still  felt 
among  the  churches  of  the  State.  Others  still 
survive,  and  are  the  veteran  leaders  in  all  denomi- 
national enterprises. 

I  cannot  speak  of  those  days  of  pioneer  work 
without  referring  to  the  energetic  and  beloved  Rev. 
T.  Willard  Lewis  and  his  devoted  wife.  In  their 
family  I  found  a  pleasant  home.  We  often  jour- 
neyed together  along  dangerous  and  unfrequented 
roads.  He  was  caring  for  his  Methodist  brethren, 
and  I  for  the  Baptists.  He  founded  the  Baker 
Institute,. which  eventually  became  Claiflin  Univer- 
sity. He  fell  at  his  post,  years  ago,  a  victim  to  yel- 
low fever.  His  wife  also  has  gone  to  her  reward. 
So  has  Dr.  A.  Webster,  the  associate  and  successor 
of  brother  Lewis.  His  house  was  also  our  home 
for  a  while.  His  wife,  too,  has  passed  away.  There 
were  strong  ties  that  bound  our  hearts  together  in 
those  days  of  anxiety  and  oftentimes  of  danger. 

Nor  can  I  forget  the  youthful  and  devoted  Ran- 
dolph, a  colored  missionary  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  who,  for  a  time,  recited  Hebrew  to 
me,  and  who  was  deliberately  assassinated  on  a  rail- 
road platform  in  the  country,  while  waiting  for  his 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  39 

train.  These  noble  men  and  women,  after  living 
honored  and  useful  lives,  rest  from  their  labors,  and 
their  works  do  follow  them. 

In  the  spring  of  1867  a  Convention  of  the  colored 
Baptists  of  the  State  was  called.  Delegates  from 
nearly  a  dozen  churches  met  in  the  Morris  Street 
Church  on  May  1st.  Rev.  I.  P.  Brockenton  was  the 
President,  and  J.  C.  Pawley  the  Secretary. 

Out  of  this  Convention  grew  the  Gethsemane 
Association,  the  first  in  the  State.  There  are  now 
in  the  State  twenty-eight  associations,  764  churches, 
444  ministers,  and  more  than  120,000  members. 
Rev.  Jacob  Legare  (pronounced  La-gree),'a  man  of 
pure  life  and  of  deep  spirituality,  was  the  beloved 
pastor  of  the  Morris  Street  Baptist  Church.  He 
was  highly  esteemed  by  the  late  Dr.  E.  T.  Winkler, 
white  pastor  in  Charleston.  Rev.  Mr.  Legare  died 
lamented  by  all,  and  left  no  stain  upon  his  memory. 
My  relations  to  all  the  pastors  and  the  churches  were 
of  the  pleasantest  kind,  and  I  look  back  to  those 
pioneer  days  of  missionary  life  as  among  the  hap- 
piest of  my  life.  Several  of  the  pastors  and  many 
of  the  young  men  of  the  State  have  since  been  stu- 
dents in  the  Seminary  at  Richmond. 

In  the  spring  of  1867  I  closed  my  missionary 
work  in  South  Carolina,  and  in  the  autumn  of 
that  year  I  went  to  Augusta,  Georgia,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  National  Theological  Institute  and 
University,  and  here  commenced  educational  work 
as  President  of  the  Augusta  Institute.  The  times, 
politically,  were  unsettled.  Prejudices  were  strong, 


40  HISTORY  OF  THE 

and  with  but  few  facilities,  not  very  much  was  ac- 
complished. A  few  came  to  me  for  instruction  by 
day,  and  a  larger  class  at  night.  Sermons  were 
preached,  and  some  churches  were  organized.  I 
left  Augusta  on  the  13th  of  July,  1868,  and  was 
subsequently  transferred  to  another  field,  Richmond, 
Virginia,  and  Rev.  Lucius  E.  Hayden,  D.  D.,  became 
my  immediate  successor  as  President  of  the  Augus- 
ta Institute. 

In  a  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Augusta  Institute  by 
J.  T.  Robert,  LL.D.,  the  following  statement  con- 
cerning the  work  done  during  this  period  may  be 
found : 

"  In  November  of  the  same  year  (1867),  Rev- 
Charles  H.  Corey  and  wife  commenced  their  labors 
here,  retaining  the  services  of  Mr.  Rice. 

"  Mr.  Corey,  in  his  first  quarterly  report,  February 
1,  1868,  gives  thirty-eight  pupils  in  attendance; 
seventeen  in  theological  class,  fifteen  in  young 
men's  and  six  in  Mrs.  Corey's.  In  his  second  re- 
port, April  18,  1868,  sixty  were  in  attendance, 
seventeen  of  whom  were  ministerial  students.  The 
school  was  kept  in  a  rented  room,*  and  mostly  at 

*  Dr.  Robert  is  slightly  in  error  here.  We  met  in  the  Spring- 
field (colored)  Baptist  Church.  I  may  say  that,  in  addition  to 
teaching,  I  preached  every  Sunday.  These  were  times  of  great 
political  excitement,  but  no  harm  befell  me.  I  had  some  warn- 
ings from  the  Ku  Klux  Klan,  and  on  a  few  occasions  the  city 
authorities,  unsolicited  by  me,  sent  some  policemen  to  protect 
our  evening  school.  Rev.  Dr.  Cuthbert,  the  pastor  of  the  white 
Baptist  church,  gave  me  his  sympathy  and  cordial  supi>ort, 
and  remained  my  friend  until  his  death. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  41 

night;  so  that  Mr.  Corey  did  not  return  to  his 
lodgings  generally  'till  about  midnight.  The 
branches  taught  were  as  diversified  as  the  wants  of 
those  who  attended  it.  The  Institute  had  warm 
friends  in  the  community.  God's  blessing  was  with 
it.  But  buildings  were  needed  for  its  use,  and  also 
funds  to  aid  pupils  from  abroad  in  their  support. 
Mr.  Corey's  labors  in  Augusta  closed  July  13th, 
1868,  and  he  was  subsequently  transferred  to  the 
Richmond  Institute,  Virginia,  to  meet  an  exigency 
which  the  resignation  of  teachers  had  created  there." 


42  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTBR  IV. 


The  Evacuation  of  Richmond — The  Burning  of  the 
city — Mr.  Lumpkin's  Coffle  of  Slaves — Lecture  by 
Dr.  Barrows — President  Lincoln  in  Richmond — 
Lumpkin's  Jail — His  Daughters  in  a  Northern  Semi- 
nary— Rev.  Mr.  Newman's  Experience. 

TT  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  introduce  here  a 
*•  brief  statement  of  the  exciting  events  which 
occurred  at  the  Evacuation  of  Richmond.  For  the 
most  of  my  information  I  am  indebted  to  Charles 
Carleton  Coffin,  who,  in  his  "  Four  years  of  Fight- 
ing," gives  an  account  of  what  he  learned  and 
what  he  saw  on  entering  the  burning  city.  Mr. 
Coffin  was  the  war  correspondent  ("  Carleton  ")  of 
the  Boston  Journal  during  the  years  of  the  war. 

On  Sunday  April  2d,  1865,  a  messenger  brought 
a  dispatch  from  General  Lee  to  Jefferson  Davis, 
who  was  found  in  Dr.  Minnigerode's  church,  which 
read,  "  My  line  is  broken  in  three  places  and  Rich- 
mond must  be  evacuated."  Mr.  Davis  repaired  to 
his  office  and  wrote  an  order  for  the  evacuation  of 
the  city.  All  was  commotion,  and  preparations  for 
speedy  departure  were  made  on  every  hand.  Mr. 
Lumpkin,  the  keeper  of  a  slave  trader's  jail,  made  up 
a  coffle  of  fifty  men,  women  and  children  in  his  jail 
yard,  "  within  pistol  shot  of  Jeff.  Davis's  parlor 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  43 

window  and  a  stone's  throw  from  the  Monumental 
church,"  and  hurried  them  to  the  Danville  Depot. 
"  This  sad  and  weeping  fifty,  in  handcuffs  and 
chains,  was  the  last  slave  coffle  that  shall  tread  the 
soil  of  America."*  On  that  Sunday  afternoon,  when 
Jefferson  Davis,  his  Secretaries,  Benjamin  and  Tren- 
holin,  when  Dr.  Hoge  and  Dr.  Duncan,  when  the 
whole  Confederate  Government  was  on  the  move, 
"  coaches,  carriages,  wagons,  carts,  wheelbarrows, 
and  everything  in  the  shape  of  a  vehicle  was 
pressed  into  use."  All  were  hastening  to  get  away 
from  the  doomed  city.  "  There  was  a  jumble  of 
boxes,  chests,  trunks,  valises,  carpet-bags,  a  crowd 
of  excited  men,  sweating  as  n6ver  before,  women 
with  dishevelled  hair,  unmindful  of  their  wardrobes, 
wringing  their  hands,  children  crying  in  the  crowd, 
sentinels  guarding  each  entrance  to  the  train,  push- 
ing back,  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  the  panic- 
stricken  multitude."  But  there  was  no  room  for 
Mr.  Lumpkin  and  his  slaves. 

Early  on  the  following  morning,  after  the  depart- 
ing of  the  Confederate  troops,  the  city  was  set  on 
fire  by  order  of  the  Confederate  General  Ewell. 
The  last  division  has  crossed  the  river.  "  The  sun  is 
up.  A  match  is  applied  to  the  turpentine  that  has 
been  poured  over  the  timbers"  of  the  bridges  leading 
to  Manchester,  and  they  are  in  flames ;  so  too  the 
tobacco  warehouses,  the  flouring  mills,  the  arsenals, 

*See  Coffin's  "  Four  Years  of  Fighting,"  p.  501-5. 


44  HISTORY  OF  THE 

the  laboratory,  and  whole  blocks  of  the  business 
portion  of  the  city,  until  thirty  squares  in  all  are 
swept  by  the  flames,  and  many  millions  of  dollars 
worth  of  property  are  destroyed.*  As  the  fire  rages, 
General  Weitzel  enters  the  city,  the  colored  soldiers 
singing  the  John  Brown  song.  They  pass  through 
streets  flanked  with  flame  to  the  Capitol.  They 
stack  their  guns  and  lay  aside  their  knapsacks  ;  they 
spring  to  the  engines ;  they  mount  the  roofs ;  they 
tear  down  burning  buildings,  and  seek  to  stay  the 
ravages  of  the  fires  kindled  by  the  departing  sol- 
diers. The  Capitol  square  is  filled  with  furniture, 
beds,  clothing,  crockery,  chairs,  tables,  and  looking- 
glasses.  Women  are  weeping,  children  crying. 
Men  stand  speechless,  gazing  at  the  desolation.  The 
colored  soldiers  emulate  the  noble  example  of  their 
comrades  in  arms  in  Charleston,  and  forgetting  self 
in  their  devotion  to  duty,  seek  to  save  the  homes 
and  property  of  their  former  owners,  and  divide 
their  rations  with  the  houseless  women  and  children. 
Mr.  Coffin,  after  continuing  his  graphic  descrip- 
tion, comments  as  follows  :  "  How  stirring  the  events 
of  that  day !  Lee  retreating,  Grant  pursuing ;  Da- 
vis a  fugitive ;  the  Governor  and  Legislature  of  Vir- 
ginia seeking  safety  in  a  canal  boat;  Doctors  of 


*The  value  of  public  and  private  property  destroyed  some 
have  placed  as  high  as  $10,000,000.  The  Richmond  Whig,  of 
April  12th,  1865,  says :  "  It  is  remarkable  that  this  fire  swept 
away  almost  every  vestige  of  the  Confederate  Government 
from  our  city."  See  Note  B. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  45 

Divinity  fleeing  from  the  wrath  they  feared ;  the 
troops  of  the  Union  marching  up  the  streets ;  the 
old  flag  waving  over  the  Capitol ;  rebel  ironclads 
blowing  up;  Richmond  on  fire;  the  billows  rolling 
from  square  to  square,  unopposed  in  their  progress 
by  the  bewildered  crowd  ;  and  the  Northern  Vandals 
laying  down  their  arms,  not  to  the  enemy  in  the 
field,  but  the  better  to  battle  with  a  foe  not  more 
relentless,  but  less  controllable  with  the  weapons  of 
war.  Weird  the  scenes  of  that  strange,  eventful 
night, — The  glimmering  flames;  the  clouds  of 
smoke,  hanging  like  a  funeral  pall  above  the  ruins ; 
the  crowd  of  homeless  creatures  wandering  in  the 
streets." 

It  is  well  known  that  the  Union  forces  on  entering 
the  city  undertook  to  save  the  property  of  the  citi- 
zens, and  to  restore  confidence. 

A  writer  in  the  Richmond  Whig  of  April  7th, 
1865,  says :  "  With  bland  and  open  countenance,0 
and  arms,  the  Union  Army  meets  us  like  brothers. 
They  pity  our  misfortunes.  They  have  restored 
order  to  our  city.  They  have  saved  us  from 
anarchy.  They  desire  to  supply  our  wants,  relieve 
the  suffering,  to  bless  and  heal." 

And  a  writer  in  the  Whig  again  says,  when  12,000 
Union  soldiers  marched  on  review  through  the 
streets  of  Richmond  :  "  They  marched  orderly  and 
quietly,  as  though  desirous  of  abstaining  from  any 
unnecessary  demonstrations  that  might  tend  to  give 
offence  to  citizens." 


46  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Dr.  J.  L.  Burrows,  for  many  years  pastor  of  the 
First  Baptist  church  in  Richmond,  in  a  brilliant  and 
thrilling  lecture  on  "  The  Fall  of  Richmond," 
speaks  of  the  efforts  of  the  United  States  soldiers 
to  save  the  burning  city,  and  graphically  describes 
the  march  of  a  regiment  of  colored  troops  up  Broad 
street.  Along  the  sidewalk  there  were  their  parents, 
wives  and  sisters,  some  of  whom  they  had  not  seen 
for  years.  But  oblivious  to  the  exclamations  of 
joyful  recognition,  with  heads  erect  and  steady  step, 
and  with  eyes  to  the  front,  on,  on  marched  the  regi- 
ment, "  the  very  perfection  of  discipline" 

Mr.  Coffin  describes  the  walk  of  President  Lin- 
coln through  the  streets  of  Richmond,  amid  the 
wild  huzzas  of  the  excited  and  rejoicing  multitudes, 
and  details  an  incident. 

"  The  walk  from  the  landing  to  the  Davis  mansion 
was  long,  and  the  President  halted  a  moment  to 
rest.  '  May  de  good  Lawd  bless  you,  President 
Linkum,'  said  an  old  negro,  removing  his  hat  and 
bowing  with  tears  of  joy  rolling  down  his  cheeks. 
The  President  removed  his  own  hat,  and  bowed  in 
silence ;  it  was  a  bow  which  upset  the  forms,  laws, 
customs  and  ceremonies  of  centuries  of  slavery.  It 
was  a  death  shock  to  chivalry  and  a  mortal  wound 
to  caste." 

Lumpkin's  jail  has  been  referred  to.  Perhaps  it 
may  be  well,  at  this  time,  to  give  further  particulars 
concerning  this  place.  It  was  situated  in  "  The 
Bottom  "  between  Franklin  and  Broad  Streets,  on 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 


47 


the  west  side  of  Shockoe  Creek.  It  occupied  a  por- 
tion of  the  ground  now  covered  by  the  establish- 
ment of  Chamblin,  Delaney  &  Scott.  A  narrow 
lane  known  as  Wall  Street,  properly  Fifteenth 
Street,  led  to  it.  This  establishment,  which  has 
been  often  spoken  of  as  the  "  old  slave  pen,"  con- 
sisted of  four  buildings,  which  were  of  brick.  One 


LUMPKIN'S  JAIL. 

was  used  by  the  proprietor  as  his  residence  and  his 
office.  Another  was  used  as  a  boarding-house  for 
the  accommodation  of  those  who  came  to  sell  their 
slaves  or  to  buy.  A  third  served  as  a  bar-room  and 
a  kitchen.  The  "  old  jail  "  stood  in  a  field  a  few 
rods  from  the  other  buildings.  It  was  forty-one  feet 
long  and  two  stories  in  height,  with  a  piazza  to  both 
stories  on  the  north  side  of  the  building.  Here 


48  HISTORY  OF  THE 

men  and  women  were  lodged  for  safe-keeping,  until 
they  were  disposed  of  at  private  or  public  sale. 
The  proprietor  had  a  family  of  interesting  daugh- 
ters, whom  he  sent  North  to  be  educated. 

In  the  summer  of  1891,  I  spent  a  Sunday  in  the 
home  of  Rev.  Mr.  Mower,  of  Kennebunkport,  Maine. 
Conversation  incidently  turned  upon  matters  per- 
taining to  the  past.  Mrs.  Mower,  formerly  Annie 
E.  Cauldwell,  knew  Martha  and  Anna  Lumpkin  at 
Mrs.  John  C.  Cowles'  Female  Seminary,  at  Ipswich, 
Massachusetts,  when  she  was  there  as  a  little  girl  in 
1856. 

These  girls,  though  born  of  a  slave  mother,  \veiv 
so  white  that  they  passed  in  the  community  as  white 
ladies.  The  father,  fearing  that  some  financial  con- 
tingency might  arise  when  these,  his  own  beautiful 
daughters,  might  be  sold  into  slavery  to  pay  his 
debts,  kept  them,  after  their  education  had  been 
completed,  in  the  free  State  of  Pennsylvania,  where 
they  would  be  safe.  I  saw  these  daughters  in  Phil- 
adelphia, and  found  them  to  be  cultivated  and  re- 
fined, and  contented  and  happy  with  families  of 
their  own. 

The  following  incident,  given  by  Rev.  A.  M. 
Newman,  of  Opelousas,  Louisiana,  at  the  Special 
Meeting  of  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission 
Society,  held  in  Nashville,  in  1888,  gives  us  a  pic- 
ture of  one  kind  of  work  carried  on  in  the  Lump- 
kin  Establishment,  and  also  furnishes  an  illustration 
of  the  truthfulness  of  the  remark  sometimes  heard, 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  49 

that  truth  is  oftentimes  stranger  than  fiction. 
Brother  Newman,  the  former  neglected  slave  boy. 
after  graduating  at  Madison  University,  became  the 
influential  pastor  of  large  and  important  churches. 
I  quote  from  his  address,  delivered  on  the  occasion 
above  referred  to.  The  address  may  be  found  in 
the  November  number  of  the  Baptist  Home  Mission 
Monthly,  for  1888,  page  295. 

"Dr.  Corey  and  Brother  Holmes  were  talking  last 
night  about  Richmond  and  Lumpkin's  jail,  and 
wondering  at  the  change  that  had  taken  place.  I 
thought  of  one  of  those  changes  that  took  place  in 
my  own  individual  history.  About  the  year  1862, 
the  person  with  whom  I  was  living  called  me  and 
said,  '  Take  this  note  and  carry  it  down  to  Mr. 
Lumpkin.'  Well  I  took  the  note,  went  off  down 
Broad  street  just  as  happy  as  a  little  fellow  could  be. 
I  handed  Mr.  Lumpkin  the  note,  and  as  I  passed 
I  saw  Mrs.  Mary  Jane  Lumpkin,  his  colored  wife, 
and  noticed  that  she  looked  at  me  rather  piteously. 
I  could  not  understand  it.  I  presented  the  note 
and  Mr.  Lumpkin  looked  at  it  and  said:  'Here 
John,  take  this  boy,  carry  him  back  there  and  put 
him  in.'  It  seemed  to  me  that  my  heart  went  right 
down.  I  could  not  understand  it,  but  there  may 
be  some  of  my  brothers  here  to-day  who  under- 
stand what  it  means  by  'putting  him  in.'  I  was 
glad  enough  when  I  came  out,  and  when  I  came 
away  that  same  woman  looked  at  me  again,  and  it 
seemed  to  me  that  she  was  saying,  'poor  child.'  I 
went  on  back  to  the  place  where  I  was  living. 


50  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Some  brother  asks  what  I  mean  by  '  putting  him  in.' 
It  was  putting  me  in  a  place  known  as  the  whipping 
room,  and  on  the  floor  of  that  room  were  rings. 
The  individual  would  be  laid  down,  his  hands  and 
feet  stretched  out  and  fastened  in  the  rings,  and  a 
great  big  man  would  stand  over  him  and  flog  him. 
I  got  out  of  there  in  1862,  and  went  home.  Time 
passed  on.  By  and  by  great  things  came  to  us. 
We  were  all  free.  Prison  walls  were  broken  down. 
As  soon  as  possible  I  went  to  Wayland  Seminary, 
D.  C.  From  there  I  went  to  Madison  University, 
and  then,  in  1873,  to  New  Orleans  to  take  charge 
of  a  church.  One  day  while  we  were  having  a 
church  meeting  a  splendid  looking  lady  came  down 
the  aisle,  and  coming  up  to  the  pastor  presented  a 
very  nice  looking  letter.  I  opened  it  and  looked  at 
it  and  read  :  '  To  whom  it  may  concern  :  This  is  to 
certify  that  Sister  Mary  Jane  Lumpkin  is  a  member 
in  good  and  regular  standing  in  the  First  African 
Baptist  church,  city  of  Richmond,  and  is  hereby 
dismissed  by  her  own  free  will  and  consent  to  join 
with  you.'  Then  I  looked  up  and  said,  '  Is  this 
Sister  Lumpkin  ? '  She  said,  '  This  is  Sister  Lump- 
kin,'  and  looked  at  me  and  said,  '  Have  I  not  seen 
you  before  ? '  I  said,  '  I  expect  you  have.'  She  re- 
marked, 'Are  you  not  the  little  one  that  came  one 
morning  down  to  the  jail  with  a  note,  and  are  you 
not  the  one  that  went  into  the  back  room  ? '  '  Yes, 
I  am  the  same  one,'  said  I.  'Ah,'  she  said.  But 
brethren  I  will  not  tell  you  any  more  about  it.  " 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  51 


CHAPTER   V. 


Condition  of  the  Freedmen  at  the  close  of  the  War — 
Work  in  their  behalf  by  the  American  Baptist  Home 
Mission  Society — Early  Work  in  Richmond — The 
National  Theological  Institute  and  University — Dr. 
N.  Colver — Dr.  Robert  Ryland — Dr.  Parker's  Lec- 
tures— Resolutions. 

\  T^HEIsT  slavery  was  abolished  in  the  District  of 
^  Columbia,  April  16th,  1862,  and  after  the 
emancipation  proclamation  of  January  1st,  1863, 
thousands  of  freedmen  crowded  into  Washington, 
Alexandria  and  other  places  occupied  by  the  Union 
army.  Scantily  clad  and  without  means,  they  were 
fed  and  sheltered  in  shanties,  sheds  and  slave-pens. 
These  multitudes  of  dependent  men,  women  and 
children,  bewildered  by  their  new  surroundings,  with 
no  self-reliance,  and  without  guides  or  counsellors, 
afforded  an  ample  field  for  the  labors  of  Christian  men 
and  women.  And  later,  when  the  war  had  ended 
and  four  millions  of  homeless,  penniless,  friendless 
waifs,  with  no  utensils,  no  lands,  no  churches,  no 
schools,  no  business  experience,  were  thrust  forth 
into  the  heart  of  the  nation,  to  compete  with  a 
dominant  race,  the  situation  was  indeed  appalling- 
Every  Christian-  and  every  patriot  recognized  the 


52  HISTORY  OF  THE 

importance  of  providing  for  them  properly  trained 
and  qualified  teachers  and  preachers. 

As  early  as  June  25th,  1862,  the  Executive  Board 
of  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  had 
voted  to  occupy  such  Southern  fields  as  the  provi- 
dence of  God  might  open  to  them. 

In  Septemher,  1863,  the  Society,  which  had  sent 
some  missionary  workers  into  the  South  in  1862, 
adopted  "  a  positive  and  pronounced  policy "  re- 
specting the  work  for  the  colored  people.  Before 
April,  1864,  they  had  about  twenty  missionaries  and 
assistants  in  the  Southern  field.  In  1865,  the 
Board  of  the  Home  Mission  Society  was  instructed 
to  prosecute,  "in  all  wise  and  feasible  ways,  the 
evangelization  of  the  freedmen,  and  to  aid  them  in 
the  erection  and  procurement  of  church  and  school 
edifices  when  requisite."  The  tide  of  feeling,  par- 
ticularly in  New  England,  ran  very  strong  in  this 
direction.  Prominent  men  in  the  denomination 
offered  themselves  for  the  service.  Operations  were 
eventually  commenced  at  various  important  centres 
in  the  South. 

J.  G.  Binney,  D.  D.,  at  one  time  President  of  the 
Columbian  College,  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  subse- 
quently teacher  of  a  theological  class  at  Rangoon, 
Burmah,  opened  in  the  city  of  Richmond,  in  the 
month  of  November,  a  school  under  the  patronage 
of  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  for 
the  instruction  of  colored  men  preparing  for  the 
ministry.  The  Religious  Herald,  published  at  Rich- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  53 

mond,  in  making  announcement  of  this  fact  under 
the  date  of  November  80th,*1865,  says:  "Dr.  Bin- 
ney's  age,  learning,  experience,  piety  and  prudence 
eminently  fit  him  for  the  work  in  which  he  is  en- 
gaged." Dr.  Binney  had  a  class  of  from  twenty  to 
twenty-five,  whom  he  could  hear  only  at  night. 
"  The  effort  to  provide  suitable  accommodations  for 
Rev.  Dr.  Binney's  School  failed,"  and  he  did  not 
long  remain  in  Richmond,  but  at  an  early  day  re- 
turned to  Burmah  and  gave  himself  to  the  work  of 
training  a  native  ministry  among  the  people  of  the 
far  East,  a  work  for  which  he  was  so  eminently 
qualified.  For  many  years  after  this,  "  he  filled 
the  post  of  President  of  the  Karen  Theological 
Seminary  at  Rangoon." 

It  becomes  necessary  at  this  point  to  make  some 
statements  concerning  the  NATIONAL  THEOLOGICAL 
INSTITUTE  AND  UNIVERSITY. 

An  organization  known  as  the  "  National  Theo- 
logical Institute,"  composed  of  prominent  Baptists, 
was  effected  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  December, 
1864,  and  commenced  operations  early  in  1865. 
This  Institution,  which  had  for  its  object  the  judi- 
cious training  of  men  of  God  for  the  Christian 
ministry,  and  of  others  associated  with  them  as 
assistants,  was  chartered  on  the  10th  of  May,  1866. 
This  charter  was  amended  March  2d,  1867,  and  the 
name  was  changed  to  that  of  "  The  National  Theo- 
logical Institute  and  University."  Of  this  organi- 
zation J.  D.  Fulton,  D.  I).,  became  President,  and 


:>4  HISTORY  OF  THE 

J.  W.  Parker,  D.  D.,  Corresponding  Secretary, 
lie  was  succeeded  as  Secretary  by  Solomon  Peck, 
D.  D.  J.  W.  Converse,  of  Boston,  was  the  Treas- 
urer. The  work  of  the  National  Theological  Insti- 
tute and  University  was  divided  into  two  depart- 
ments. First — Schools  were  established  at  impor- 
tant points,  so  that  the  more  influential  pastors  of 
churches  might  be  helped  without  removing  them 
from  their  work  and  from  their  pastoral  charges. 
Secondly — Ministers'  Institutes  were  "  organized  in 
a  manner  similar  to  those  which  were  first  estab- 
lished in  the  West."  By  this  means  it  was  hoped 
to  reach  the  masses  of  the  ministry. 

When  this  Society  had  entered  fairly  upon  its 
work,  attention  was  directed  to  Nathaniel  Colver, 
D.  D.,  as  one  eminently  fitted,  by  his  antecedents, 
by  his  sympathies,  by  his  powrer  as  a  Biblical  teach- 
er, and  his  tact  in  addressing  and  influencing  men, 
for  the  service  needed  in  the  Department  of  Instruc- 
tion. He  received  an  invitation  while  Professor  of 
Biblical  Theology  in  the  Theological  Seminary,  at 
Chicago,  to  enter  the  service  of  the  National  Insti- 
tute. He  accepted,  and  on  May  13th,  1867,  he  ar- 
rived in  Richmond  and  made  arrangements  to 
commence  his  work.  July  1st,  1867,  he  leased,  for 
three  years,  at  one  thousand  dollars  per  annum,  the 
establishment  known  as  Lumpkin's  Jail,  which  has 
been  described  already.  It  was  in  the  Old  Jail,  the 
threshold  of  which  was  pressed  by  the  foot  of  a 
slave  for  the  last  time  on  the  memorable  Sunday 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  55 

afternoon  of  the  evacuation,  that  Dr.  Colver  made  a 
beginning  of  his  work.  Appropriate  services  were 
held  on  the  premises,  and  Dr.  Colver  preached  an 
impressive  sermon  from  the  porch  of  the  boarding- 
house.  He  referred  to  the  change  that  had  taken 
place  in  the  status  of  the  colored  people,  and  also 
to  the  different  purpose  to  which  the  premises  were 
about,  to  be  devoted;  to  the  old  jail,  with  the  iron 
grating  across  the  windows  (a  place  of  bitter  memo- 
ries), that  was  in  the  adjacent  yard.  No  longer  would 
there  go  up  from  within  those  walls  from  broken- 
hearted men,  torn  from  their  families  forever,  an 
agonizing  wail  to  Heaven.  No  longer  would  help- 
less wives  and  mothers  wash  those  floors  with  their 
tears.  The  Doctor  urged  all  ministers  and  young 
men  to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  enter 
the  School.  The  occasion  was  one  of  profound  and 
tearful  interest. 

Dr.  Colver  made  arrangements  with  Rev.  James 
H.  Holmes,  pastor  of  the  First  African  Baptist 
Church,  to  reside  with  his  family  on  the  premises, 
and  to  look  after  the  establishment.  School  opened 
regularly  in  the  fall  of  1867,  and  Robert  Ryland,  D. 
D.,  was  associated  with  Dr.  Colver  during  the  year. 

Dr.  Ryland  was  for  twenty-eight  years  President 
of  Richmond  College ;  and  for  twenty-five  years 
pastor  of  the  First  African  Baptist.  Church.  He 
says  in  the  Religious  Herald  of  September  12th,  1869: 
"  For  twenty-five  years  preceding  the  collapse  of  the 
Confederacy,  I  labored  on  the  Sabbath  and  at  other 


56  HISTORY  OF  THE 

spare  hours  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  colored 
people."  Dr.  Colver,  seeing  Dr.  Ryland  returning 
from  the  market  with  his  basket  on  his  arm,  de- 
cided to  secure  his  services  as  an  associate  in  teach- 
ing. As  an  illustration  of  the  great  change  which 
took  place  at  the  close  of  the  war  in  the  circum- 
stances of  the  citizens,  this  distinguished  leader  and 
preacher,  in  order  to  support  his  family,  carried 
milk  around  the  city  and  sold  it,  alike  to  white  and 
black.  Dr.  Ryland  refers  to  this  in  a  letter  to  the 
Richmond  Dispatch,  August  24th,  1876,  in  which 
he  says  :  "  I  did  not  keep  a  dairy,  but  possessed  one 
cow,  whose  milk,  carried  on  foot  to  my  customers, 
morning  and  evening,  sustained  my  family  for  many 
months."  Dr.  Ryland  was  a  man  "  pious,  consis- 
tent and  laborious,"  and  his  labors,  which  were 
continued  through  one  year,  closing  with  August 
31st,  1868,  were  highly  appreciated  by  the  young 
men  of  the  School.  He  speaks  of  the  work  as 
"A  great  and  good  one,"  and  earnestly  prays  for  a 
"  large  reward "  upon  his  "  fellow  laborer  in  the 
cause  of  Christ."  Dr.  Ryland  makes  the  following 
statement  concerning  the  work  done  by  him  in  the 
School : 

"  My  connection  with  your  Institute  began  about 
the  1st  of  September,  1867,  and  ended  about  the 
last  of  June,  1868.  Dr.  Colver,  the  Principal, 
taught  only  Biblical  knowledge,  and  I  devoted  six 
full  hours  a  day  in  teaching  all  the  elementary 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  57 

branches  that  I  saw  most  needful  to  the  pupils.  I 
got  along  very  pleasantly  with  all  the  students,  and 
with  Dr.  Colver.  But  as  it  was  best  for  him  to 
continue,  and  as  a  female  could  teach  at  $600  per 
annum,  what  I  was  teaching  at  a  cost  to  the  Society 
of  $1.200,  I  suggested  to  Dr.  Peck,  who  had  come 
to  Richmond  partly  to  lecture  to  the  School  and 
partly  to  attend  to  its  fiscal  matters,  that  I  ought  to 
resign.  He  concurred  with  me,  and  I  acted  accord- 
ingly, with  the  kindest  feelings  toward  the  whole 
enterprise. 

"  Dr.  Parker  and  Dr.  Peck  delivered  some  most 
judicious  and  valuable  lectures  to  the  whole  School 
in  the  winter  of  1867-68,  on  theological  subjects. 
But  as  I  was  generally  engaged  with  my  classes 
when  Dr.  Colver  was  with  his,  I  did  not  form  an 
opinion  of  his  instructions,  that  is,  a  very  definite 
one."  "The  School  began  systematically  about 
September  1st,  1867,  in  a  building  known  as  Lump- 
kin's  Jail,  with  some  thirty  or  forty  pupils,  two- 
thirds  of  whom  had  some  reference  to  the  ministry." 

Concerning  the  course  of  lectures  above  referred 
to,  Miss  E.  II.  Peck,  who  was  in  the  office  of  her 
father  in  Boston  during  his  absence,  says:  "Dr. 
Parker  was  to  assist  Drs.  Colver  and  Ryland  in 
giving  instruction.  But  Dr.  Parker  has  been  sick 
in  Washington  and  Dr.  Colver  is  very  feeble,  and 
often  suffers  from  sudden  and  severe  disease  in  his 
chest,  threatening  life ;  so  my  father  has  gone  to 
the  rescue,  and  writes  that  he  arrived  none  too 


58  HISTORY  OF  THE 

soon,  and  finds  himself  fully  occupied  with  lec- 
turing, teaching,  receiving  calls,  etc." 

Dr.  Colver,  in  consequence  of  failing  health,  re- 
signed in  June,  1868.  He  died  at  Chicago,  Illinois, 
September  25th,  1870.  An  account  of  the  life  and 
services  of  this  distinguished  man  may  be  found  in 
the  valuable  memoir  prepared  by  Rev.  J.  A.  Smith, 
D.  D. 

In  accepting  the  resignations  of  Drs.  Colver  and 
Ryland  as  teachers  at  Richmond,  the  Executive 
Committee  placed  on  record  the  following  resolu- 
tions, adopted  June  15th,  1868  : 

Resolved,  That  in  accepting  the  resignation  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Ryland,  we  wish  to  express  our  deep  sympathy  with  his  Chris- 
tian spirit,  and  our  high  admiration  for  his  manly  firmness  and 
noble  fidelity  to  truth  and  duty,  which  he  has  evinced  in  con- 
tinuing amid  all  the  changes  which  have  occurred  in  the  com- 
munity around  him,  his  life-long  devotion  to  the  interests  of 
the  colored  people. 

Resolved,  That  we  recognize  with  grateful  hearts  the  services 
which  have  been  performed  by  Dr.  Colver  in  the  interests  of 
the  freedmen ;  that  we  feel  devoutly  thankful  to  God  for  the 
agent  and  agency ;  and  that,  while  we  accept  his  resignation 
as  theological  teacher  at  Richmond,  Virginia,  it  is  not  without 
the  hope  that  his  valuable  services  may  be  secured  in  some 
other  department  of  the  grand  educational  enterprise  to  which 
his  whole  soul  is  so  thoroughly  committed. 

To  meet  the  exigency  created  by  the  above  resig- 
nations, the  Rev.  Mr.  Corey  was  subsequently  trans- 
ferred to  Richmond  from  the  Augusta  Institute. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY  59 


CHAPTER   VI. 


Dr.  Colver's  Work  in  Richmond — Letters — Transfer 
of  the  Work  of  the  N.  T.  I.  and  U.  to  the  American 
Baptist  Home  Mission  Society — Report  of  Work  done. 

TIST  carrying  out  the  plan  referred  to  in  the  last 
*•  chapter,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Corey  repaired  to  Rich- 
mond, September  16th,  1868. 

School  was  formally  commenced  October  1st, 
with  Miss  H.  W.  Goodman  as  chief  assistant. 
Classes  were  opened  on  the  night  of  the  21st  for 
such  as  could  not  attend  in  the  daytime.  In  No- 
vember and  December  of  this  year,  by  order  of  the 
Executive  Committee,  a  Ministers'  Institute  was 
held  in  connection  with  the  School.  Dr.  J.  W. 
Parker  and  the  Principal  were  the  lecturers.  Eighty- 
one  ministers  and  church  officers,  in  addition  to  the 
regular  students,  attended  this  special  Institute. 
At  the  close  of  the  fall  term  more  than  one  hun- 
dred had  been  regularly  connected  with  the  School, 
with  an  average  daily  attendance  of  sixty. 

Dr.  Parker  reports  to  Dr.  Peck  in  December,  con- 
cerning this  series  of  lectures,  "  The  Lord  is  giving 
us  favor  here.  In  the  day  and  evening  courses 
together,  I  have  had  about  one  hundred  men — every 
colored  pastor  in  the  city.  The  number  increases 


60  HISTORY  OF  THE 

every  day.  If  we  could  continue  until  February 
15th,  we  should  be  obliged  to  take  the  African 
Church  and  address  five  hundred.  But  it  is  better 
to  wait.  It  is  most  inspiring  work.  The  men  are 
more  eager  than  ever.  Many  of  them  are  in  tears 
much  of  the  time,  as  we  speak  of  doctrines  and 
duties.  I  enjoy  the  work  exceedingly.  I  have 
nightly  to  express  my  gratitude  to  God,  with  tears, 
for  the  privilege  of  lifting  into  light  Christ's  '  little 
ones  '  who  sit  in  darkness." 

Dr.  Colver  had  been  invited  to  aid  in  this  Special 
Course  of  Instruction,  but  the  state  of  his  health 
would  not  warrant  it. 

Concerning  the  Ministers'  Institutes  which  were 
held  at  Richmond  and  elsewhere  with  great  success, 
from  1868-1869,  Dr.  J.  W.  Parker,*  who  conducted 
several  in  the  South,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Na- 
tional Theological  Institute  and  University,  writes 
from  Washington,  D.  C.,  April  26th,  1868,  of  those 
whom  he  had  under  his  instruction  at  that  time  : 

"  Some  had  no  more  use  of  their  reasoning  powers 
than  a  blind  man  has  of  his  eyes,  and  others  had 
much  power  of  thought,  but  had  no  breadth  of 
foundation  of  knowledge  of  the  Bible  beyond  the 


*  Dr.  Parker  was  for  more  than  twenty  years  pastor  of  a  Bap- 
tist Church  in  Cambridge,  Massachusetts.  He  also  served  as 
Secretary  of  the  Northern  Baptist  Education  Society,  and  sub- 
sequently became  pastor  of  the  Calvary  Baptist  Church,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  61 

simplest  elements  of  Christian  truth.  All  were 
without  any  knowledge  of  the  relation  of  the  Old 
Testament  to  the  New,  or  of  the  Gospels  to  the 
Epistles.  I  think  we  give  these 

men  power  with  their  people  as  we  make  them  able 
to  refer  to  the  Scriptures  for  what  they  teach  and 
direct.  If  we  do  little  more  for  them  than  to  help 
them  to  read  and  to  refer  to  a  few  Scriptures  which 
teach  doctrine  and  duty,  much  is  gained.  It  is  not 
the  amount  of  knowledge  which  we  impart  so  much 
as  the  fullness  of  possession  which  they  have  of  a 
few  truths  and  their  relations.  If  they  can  be  held 
to  the  simple  truths  in  doctrine  and  precept,  they 
will  lead  the  people  more  safely  and  successfully." 

Dr.  Parker  again  writes  from  Savannah,  Georgia, 
March  20th,  1869 :  "  This  year  opens  the  way  for 
much  more  effective  labor  the  next.  If  you  ask  me 
who  will  perform  it,  He  knows  who  has  liberated 
this  people,  and  intends  that  they  shall  be  taught, 
and  I  have  no  knowledge  nor  solicitude  in  the  mat- 
ter. My  heart  has  been  greatly  enlarged  in  it,  and 
I  have  much  gratitude  to  God  for  the  privilege  of 
doing  the  little  I  have  been  permitted  to  do.  It 
has  absorbed  my  whole  being  and  filled  all  my  hori- 
zon. I  have  been  out  of  the 
world  for  three  months,  have  seen  but  two  numbers 
of  the  Watchman,  know  nothing  of  what  is  going 
on  in  the  world  or  the  Church,  but  I  reckon  the 
Lord  will  be  able  to  manage  without  my  supervision, 
and  T  am  content  to  leave  the  matter  with  Him." 

3 


62  HISTORY  OF  THE 

In  order  to  understand  the  kind  of  work  done  at 
Richmond  by  Drs.  Colver  and  Ryland,  I  will  intro- 
duce a  letter  written  to  me  while  in  charge  of  the 
Augusta  Institute,  Augusta,  Georgia.  I  wrote  Dr. 
Colver,  asking  him  kindly  to  make  such  suggestions 
as  his  experience  and  observation  would  warrant. 
He  writes  from  Richmond,  Virginia,  November 
18th,  1867 : 

"  The  enquiries  you  make  will  best  be  answered 
by  your  own  observation  of  those  who  compose 
your  pupils,  and  their  necessities.  The  field  is  new 
and  peculiar,  and  peculiar  treatment  is  demanded. 
We  almost  have  to  make  the  mind  to  instruct.  Of 
course  our  theological  instructions  must  be  dogmat- 
ical till  we  can  teach  them  to  reason,  and  till  they 
can  read  and  gather  to  themselves  the  use  of  terms. 
I  have  a  large  evening  class  of  over  thirty  that  I 
have  to  teach  to  speak  and  read  properly ;  and 
some  in  figures  and  writing.  The  literary  day 
classes  are  under  Dr.  Ryland ;  a  class  in  grammar, 
in  arithmetic,  in  geography,  and  all  in  spelling  and 
reading.  With  these  classes  he  occupies  himself 
from  nine  to  three  o'clock,  alternately. 

"  I  have  a  class  of  pastors  and  preachers  with  whom 
I  spend  an  hour  and  a  half  daily.  I  have  gone 
mostly  through  the  Book  of  Hebrews.  We  first  read 
a  chapter,  and  I  take  great  pains  to  have  them  read 
properly,  slowly,  naturally,  distinctly,  minding  the 
pauses,  observing  proper  emphasis,  intonation,  pro- 
nunciation, etc.  Then  I  seize  upon  the  points  of 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  63 

Gospel  truth  consecutively,  in  the  order  of  Apostolic 
argument,  and  try  to  make  them  understand  it  as 
well  as  I  can.  Progress  is  very  slow,  and  much 
patience  is  required.  They  have  never  been  taught 
to  think  consecutively.  We  take  any  good  young 
man,  whether  looking  to  the  ministry  or  not.  Most 
learn  well.  Some  do  not.  I  exercise  a  sovereign 
prerogative  to  dismiss  the  hopeless.  But  I  said  in 
the  beginning  no  rule  can  be  given  you.  You  must 
'cut  and  try.'  My  suggestions  will  be  useless.  Your 
own  observations  must  guide  you.  Our  work  is  a 
hard,  but  an  important  one." 

During  my  first  year  in  Richmond  I  was  in  fre- 
quent correspondence  with  Dr.  Colver.  As  his 
health  failed,  these  letters  became  less  frequent. 
The  following,  dated  Chicago,  March  19th,  1869, 
shows  the  depth  of  his  Christian  affection  and  his 
interest  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  Kingdom  of 
Christ : 

"  How  I  would  love  to  be  with  you.  I  became 
very  much  attached  to  those  dear  people.  I  rejoice 
in  the  conversion  of  Brother  Armistead.  Uncle 
Jeff  and  Aunty  I  love  very  much.  I  found  Brother 
and  Sister  Holmes,  all  I  could  wish.  They  were  so 
kind.  I  wish  you  to  express  to  them  how  much  I 
love  them.  *****  j  ever  trusted  my 
papers  and  money  in  the  hands  of  Brother  Holmes, 
and  ever  found  him  true  and  upright.  Remember 
me  to  Brother  Jackson  and  to  Brother  "Wells. 
They,  with  all  the  students,  did  all  they  could  to 


64  HISTORY  OF  THE 

make  me  happy.  I  hope  you  will  find  the  same 
kindness  at  their  hands.  This  is  a  glorious  work. 
I  am  glad  I  engaged  in  it,  though  I  have  no  doubt 
it  was  such  an  over-draught  upon  my  bodily  powers 
as  to  bring  me  to  an  early  grave.  I  have  got  to  die, 
but  it  will  not  be  death.  I  shall  pass  over  dry  shod. 
Death  in  the  Master's  service  or  in  His  work  of 
preaching  the  Gospel  to  the  poor  is  a  privilege.  I 
think  my  work  is  done,  and  that  it  only  remains 
for  me  hereafter  to  suffer  the  will  of  God.  But  I 
want  the  work  done  and  it  needs  to  be  done  quickly. 
The  time  will  soon  come  when  that  School  must  be 
put  upon  a  permanent  basis  and  properly  endowed, 
when  we  shall  want  to  work  into  the  Board  much 
of  the  colored  element.  Train  them  for  it  as  fast 
as  you  can.  I  never  expect  to  be  well  again.  I 
think  a  few  months  will  send  me  home.  Commend 
me  to  Brother  Holmes,  to  the  First  Church,  and  to 
individual  friends  when  you  have  the  opportunity. 
I  love  to  hear  from  you.  No  one  to  whom  you 
write  will  sympathize  with  you  as  I  do.  The  Lord 
Jesus  sustain  and  help  you  in  your  great  work. 
*  *  *  May  God  strengthen  us  all  to  do  and  suffer 
all  his  will." 

On  the  22d  of  January,  1869,  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  the  National  Theological  Institute,  "  in 
honor  of  its  first  teacher  and  a  life  long  friend  of 
the  slave  and  the  freedmen,"  adopted  the  following 
resolution  :  That  the  School  at  Richmond  be  here- 
iK-roafter  be  designated  "  Colver  Institute." 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  65 

After  mature  and  prayerful  deliberation,  at  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  denomination  in  1867,  and 
onward,  it  was  finally  decided  by  mutual  agreement 
that  the  work  of  the  National  Theological  Institute 
should  be  merged  into  that  of  the  American  Baptist 
Home  Mission  Society..  Formal  action  was  taken 
when  the  anniversaries  were  held  in  Boston,  May 
19th,  1869,  and  eventually  the  Board  of  Managers 
transferred  the  work  of  the  National  Theological 
Institute  to  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission 
Society,  which  adopted  the  schools  and  teachers  as 
its  own. 

On  May  26th,  1870,  the  American  Baptist  Home 
Mission  Society,  at  the  annual  meeting  in  Phila- 
delphia, resolved  to  petition  Congress  to  declare 
null  and  void  the  charter  of  the  National  Theologi- 
cal Institute  and  University,  and  appointed  Rev.  J. 
B.  Simmons,  J.  D.  Fulton  and  G.  W.  Samson  to  lay 
the  subject  in  a  proper  manner  before  Congress. 

Dr.  Peck,*  the  Corresponding  Secretary,  in  his 
final  official  letter,  dated  May  22d,  says  :  "  My  offi- 
cial connection  ceased  on  Thursday.  The  changes 
which  have  been  made  and  which  are  to  be,  I 
heartily  concur  in,  and  trust  that  they  will  eventu- 
ate in  those  great  ends  for  which  we  are  laboring." 


*  Rev.  Solomon  Peck,  D.  D.,  for  many  years  was  Correspond- 
ing Secretary  of  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union.  He 
succeeded  Dr.  Parker  as  Seci'etary  of  the  National  Theological 
Institute  and  University. 


66  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Of  this  transfer  of  the  work  of  the  National  In- 
stitute, official  notice  was  sent  by  Dr.  J.  S.  Backus, 
Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  American  Baptist 
Home  Mission  Society,  May  28,  1869,  to  Rev.  C.  H. 
Corey  and  Miss  Hannah  W.  Goodman,  as  follows  : 
"As  the  work  of  the  National  Theological  Institute 
has  now  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  American 
Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  you  are  requested, 
if  agreeable  to  you,  to  make  out  your  reports  for 
the  month  of  May  to  the  Secretaries  of  the  Home 
Mission  Society,  No.  39  Park  Row,  New  York,  and 
they  will  forward  your  month's  salary." 

The  following  from  Dr.  Peck's  final  report  gives 
an  account  of  our  first  year's  work  in  the  Colver 
Institute : 

"  Reports  of  the  condition  and  progress  of  the 
School  during  the  entire  academic  }*ear  have  been 
regular,  frequent  and  abundantly  satisfactory.  A 
just  estimate  of  its  general  character  and  of  its 
claims  to  support,  may  be  derived  from  the  quarterly 
report,  submitted  at  the  close  of  the  second  term. 
Mr.  Corey  then  wrote,  March  31st,  '  Since  our  ses- 
sion commenced  in  October,  one  hundred  and 
ninety-five  have  been  in  attendance  at  our  School 
for  a  longer  or  shorter  period.  This  number  in- 
cludes a  night  class  of  forty-five  adults.  During 
the  term  Miss  Goodman,  the  popular  and  efficient 
associate  teacher,  has  given  instruction  in  reading, 
writing,  arithmetic,  spelling,  geography  and  English 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  67 

grammar.  There  have  been  exercises  in  declama- 
tion and  composition.  The  theological  class  has 
examined  the  Evidences  of  Christianity,  has  studied 
carefully  portions  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments, 
and  has  had  weekly  exercises  in  the  composition 
and  delivery  of  sermons.  Lectures  have  been  de- 
livered to  them  on  Interpretation  and  Biblical 
Antiquities.  In  addition  to  this  they  have  had  the 
benefit  of  Dr.  Parker's  admirable  lectures.  •  Two 
Latin  classes  and  one  Greek  class  have  recited 
daily  for  three  months  past.  Caesar  and  Sallust 
have  been  read  a  portion  of  the  time.  Xenophon 
will  be  commenced  shortly. 

'  It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  instructors  simply 
not  to  insist  on  studious  habits  in  the  students, 
but  they  have  striven  to  develop  every  manly  qual- 
ity ;  they  have  aimed  to  make  men  of  their  pupils : 
God-fearing,  self-denying  men. 

'  The  conduct  of  the  students,  generally,  has  been 
all  that  could  be  desired.  Never  could  men  work 
harder,  or  apply  themselves  more  closely.  Scarcely 
one  has  been  absent  or  late  at  morning  prayers  or  a 
recitation  since  the  commencement  of  the  term.  We 
cannot  thank  too  cordially  the  many  friends  who 
have  so  kindly  remembered  us  with  supplies  of  bed- 
ding and  clothing.  Many  prayers  ascend  daily  from 
this  place  on  behalf  of  the  friends  of  the  School. 
May  God  bless  them  all.' ' 

The  exhibit  thus  given  is  fully  sustained  by  rep- 


68  HISTORY  OF  THE 

resentations  of  brethren  who  have  visited  it,  both 
of  the  North  and  the  South,  several  of  whom  have 
left  substantial  tokens  of  the  interest  thus  created 
or  quickened.  To  use  the  words  of  Dr.  Parker, 
"  Brother  Corey  and  his  assistant  are  taking  hold 
of  the  people.  They  have  matters  in  excellent  or- 
der. If  the  patrons  of  the  Institute  could  look  in 
upon  the  school  each  one  would  enlist  recruits  and 
gain  contributions  to  the  cause.  To  some  of  the 
ministers  it  seems  an  almost,  intolerable  privation 
to  lose  a  lesson." 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  69 


CHAPTKR  VII. 


Letter  of  Dr.  Simmons  on  Lumpkin's  Jail — Recollec- 
tions by  Mrs.  H.  Goodman-Smith — Purchase  of  the 
United  States  Hotel — Incorporated  as  Richmond  In- 
stitute. 

QEFORE  taking  final  leave  of  the  Old  Jail,  we 
*"'  will  introduce  here  letters  from  Dr.  Simmons,* 
of  New  York,  and  Mrs.  H.  Goodman-Smith. 

LUMPKIN'S  SLAVE  JAIL,  BY  JAMES  B.  SIMMONS,  D.  D. 

Did  Northern  Baptists  design  to  humiliate  South- 
ern Baptists,  by  using  Lnmpkin's  Slave  Jail,  at  the 
opening  of  their  Freedmen  School-work  in  Rich- 
mond, Virginia?  No,  the  farthest  from  it.  I -re- 
member that  it  was  so  hinted  at  the  time.  Some 
may  still  believe  it.  But  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to 


*, Tames  B.  Simmons,  D.  D.,  one  of  the  Secretaries  of  the 
American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  had  charge  of  the 
Southern  Department  of  its  work,  and-of  its  educational  work. 
This  and  similar  institutes  in  the  South,  which  he  so  success- 
fully assisted  in  building  up,  are  monuments  to  his  marvellous 
and  unremitting  energy ;  and  the  solicitude  with  which  he 
watched  over  them  and  the  fidelity  with  which  he  studied 
their  best  interests,  bear  testimony  to  his  absorbing  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  the  freedman,  and  the  progress  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Christ, 


70  HISTORY  OF  THE 

show  that  the  occupancy  of  those  premises  was 
wholly  providential. 

I  will  begin  by  saying  that  Baptists  were  not  re- 
sponsible for  the  existence  of  slavery.  They  did 
not  originate  it.  Nor  can  they  be  held  accountable 
for  its  bad  features.  True  Baptists  are  true  Christ- 
ians, and  true  Christians  all  through  the  South  are 
supposed  to  have  done  all  that  they  could  in  the 
circumstances,  even  while  slavery  still  existed,  to 
ameliorate  the  hard  features  of  that  hard  bondage. 
Nobody  can  deny  that  the  institution  of  slavery 
was  a  very  cruel  one.  So  much  so,  that  one  eminent 
writer  describes  it  as  the  "  sum  of  all  villainies."  It 
was  certainly  of  the  evil  one,  and  not  at  ^11  of 
Christ ;  for  it  was  compelled  to  employ  cruel  agen- 
cies in  order  to  maintain  its  power,  not  to  say  its 
existence.  Hence  the  slave-hunter  and  the  slave- 
ship  for  capturing  its  victims.  Hence  the  slave- 
driver  and  the  slave-whip.  Hence  the  bloodhound, 
for  runaways,  and  the  slave-pen  and  the  slave-jail, 
and  the  whipping  ring  for  the  incorrigible  and  the 
refractory. 

True  Christians  in  the  South,  as  well  as  in  the 
North,  deplored  these  things  and  prayed  against 
them.  And  it  was  in  answer  to  these  prayers,  both 
in  the  North  and  in  the  South  and  in  the  other  parts 
of  the  world,  that  slavery  in  these  United  States 
was  brought  to  an  end,  in  that  year  of  wondrous 
grace  to  our  brethren  in  bonds — 1865.  God  did 
it  by  means  of  war ;  war  so  long  and  so  bloody 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  71 

"  that  each  drop  drawn  by  the  lash  was  repaid  by 
another  drop  drawn  by  the  sword;  "  but  the  emanci- 
pating feature  of  the  war  was  in  answer  to  prayer  be- 
yond all  doubt.  The  reader  will  notice  that  I  speak 
of  the  prayers  of  true  Christians.  Unconverted, 
irreligious  church  members,  who  still  love  the 
world  and  its  wicked  spirit  and  its  cruel  ways,  are 
not  Christians  at  all.  They  are  sinners.  Some- 
times the  worst  of  sinners.  And  God  heareth  not 
sinners.  These  sinners  prayed  for  the  continuance 
of  slavery,  and  God  refused  their  prayers.  True 
Christians,  on  the  other  hand,  are  those  who  have 
been  born  again,  "  born  from  above,"  "  born  of  the 
spirit,"  and  who  love  God  and  their  slave-neighbor 
as  they  love  themselves,  having  the  spirit  of  Christ. 
There  were  undoubtedly  thousands  of  these  Chris- 
tians (whites  as  well  as  blacks)  scattered  over  the 
slave  States  before  the  war.  I  knew  personally  a 
few  such.  I  could  name  some  of  them  ;  in  the 
Carolinas,  in  Mississippi,  in  Kentucky,  they  dwelt, 
all  of  them  whites.  One  of  them  from  South 
Carolina,  who  emancipated  his  slaves  long  before 
the  war,  was  afterwards  a  guest  in  my  house  for 
many  days  here  in  the  North.  And  lovingly  did  we 
converse.  There  were  also  many  other  white  slave- 
holders substantially  of  his  spirit;  tender  hearted, 
but  timid,  who  loved  their  slaves  and  pitied  them  and 
treated  them  beautifully,  and  would  have  freed  them 
joyfully  had  they  only  known  how.  These  all 
prayed  secretly  but  fervently  before  the  war  for  the 


72  HISTORY  OF  THE 

overthrow  of  slavery,  and  after  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years  God  startled  the  whole  world  by  the 
suddenness  and  bountifulness  and  magnificence  of 
His  answer.  And  so,  when  the  war  ended  the  slave 
was  free.  "The  regime  of  the  lash  had  gone;  the 
regime  of  the  spelling  book  had  come."  But  how 
to  apply  the  spelling  book  was  the  question.  By 
the  laws  of  the  slave  States  it  had  long  been  a 
crime  to  teach  a  black  man  letters.  By  the  laws  of 
Jesus  Christ  all  men,  black  and  white  alike,  were  to 
"  search  the  scriptures."  But  how  many  white  Chris- 
tians were  there  in  the  South  immediately  after  the 
war,  when  bad  passions  were  still  rampant,  when  hate 
prevailed  and  not  love,  who  would  have  dared  to 
sell  a  building  or  even  lease  a  building  in  the  face 
of  their  pro-slavery  neighbors  to  be  used  as  a  school 
for  negroes  ?  In  some  localities,  indeed,  the  negroes 
themselves  were  too  timid  to  allow  their  own 
church-houses  to  be  so  used.  The  experience  of 
Dr.  Nathaniel  Colver  and  of  others  proves  this. 
And  I  myself,  as  late  as  1870,  five  years  after  the 
war  had  closed,  saw  white  property  owners  in 
Southern  cities  almost  turn  pale  with  fear  when  [ 
asked  them  to  sell  me  a  piece  of  land  for  one  of 
the  Home  Mission  Society's  colored  schools.  They 
would  exclaim:  "No,  no.  Never,  never.  My  neigh- 
bors would  blame  me."  One  man  said  to  me : 
"  Sir,  the  price  of  that  land  is  one  thousand  dollars 
an  acre,  but  as  you  want  it  for  a  Negro  School,  you 
cannot  have  it  at  any  price  !  " 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  73 

Again,  in  many  of  the  slave  States  before  the 
civil  war,  and  I  presume  it  was  so  in  Virginia,  even 
free  blacks,  of  which  there  were  always  a  few, 
could  not  hold  property  except  by  means  of  white 
trustees.  And  church  property  owned  by  slaves,  as 
for  example,  the  First  African  Baptist  Church,  of 
Richmond,  Virginia,  must  have  been  held  for  said 
slaves  in  the  same  way.  So  strict  was  the  law  in 
regard  to  the  assembling  of  blacks,  that  no  con- 
gregation or  even  considerable  number  of  them 
could  meet,  even  for  the  purposes  of  worshipping 
God,  unless  a  white  man  was  present  in  said  assem- 
bly. 

In  the  light  of  the  above  facts  listen  now  to  the 
story  of  Lumpkin's  Jail  and  its  occupancy  by  the 
American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  for  school 
purposes.  Dr.  Nathaniel  Colver,  above  referred  to, 
was  a  famous  anti-slavery  champion.  For  many 
years  he  was  pastor  at  Tremont  Temple  in  Boston, 
where  he  thundered  with  true  Christian  eloquence 
against  all  the  sins  in  the  Decalogue ;  especially 
against  the  saloon  system  and  the  system  of  human 
slavery.  At  the  same  time  he  preached  Jesus  most 
tenderly  and  effectively  to  the  saving  of  great 
numbers  of  souls.  Dr.  Colver  told  me  that  when 
the  war  was  over  and  the  slave  was  free,  that  he 
felt  like  one  who  had  been  rescuing  a  drowning 
man  in  mid-winter.  He  had  gotten  his  man  out  of 
the  water  onto  the  ice,  as  he  expressed  it,  but  the 
poor  fellow  would  freeze  to  death  if  not  looked 


74  HISTORY  OF  THE 

after.  So,  said  he,  I  started  for  Richmond  to  look 
after  my  freed-man.  My  plan  was  to  open  a  school 
in  one  of  the  colored  churches  and  instruct  these 
preachers  in  the  word  of  God.  But  the  freedmen 
were  timid.  They  were  afraid  of  schools.  They 
had  never  had  any  schools.  Slavery  had  taught 
them  that  schools  and  book  learning  were  not  for 
the  black  man,  but  only  for  the  whites.  Both  the 
colored  pastors  and  the  colored  deacons  stood  in 
doubt  therefore  as  to  the  wisdom  of  my  plans.  So, 
in  my  perplexity  and  straits,  I  devoted .  a  day  to 
fasting  and  prayer.  And  as  the  evening  of  that 
day  approached,  I  went  out  of  my  place  of  prayer 
on  to  the  streets  of  Richmond  to  see  what  answer 
the  Lord  might  give  me.  I  had  not  walked  far 
when  I  met  upon  the  sidewalk  a  group  of  colored 
people.  I  stopped  them.  I  engaged  them  in  con- 
versation. I  told  them  the  story  of  my  errand  in 
Richmond  and  the  obstacles  I  had  encountered.  In 
the  midst  of  that  group  was  a  large,  fair-faced  freed- 
woman,  nearly  white,  who  said  that  she  had  a  place 
which  she  thought  I  could  have.  The  place  proved 
to  be  the  famous  Lumpkin's  Slave  Jail,  and  this 
woman  who  owned  it  was  the  widow  of  Lumpkin, 
the  slave  dealer.  Yes,  the  lawful  widow.  For 
though  Lumpkin  was  a  white  man  and  had  bought 
this  woman  many  years  before  as  a  slave,  and  she 
had  become  the  mother  of  his  children,  yet,  after 
Richmond  fell,  he  did  the  honorable  thing  of  marry- 
ing her,  and  so  legitimatized  her  and  her  children. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  75 

Thus  they  became  his  lawful  heirs.  Mrs.  Lump- 
kin  was  a  pious  and  intelligent  woman,  and  after 
her  marriage  was  admitted  to  membership  in 
the  First  African  Baptist  Church  of  Richmond. 
For  years  before  the  war,  so  I  was  told,  this  slave- 
mother  of  the  white  jailer's  children  united  with 
Lumpkin  in  sending  their  children  to  the  North  to 
school,  winter  after  winter.  The  last  I  heard  of  them 
they  were  residing  in  one  of  the  Northern  States. 
AVhether  they  pass  as  colored  or  whites  I  do  not 
know.  But  I  presume  no  trace  could  be  found  of 
them  under  the  name  of  Lumpkin ;  for  in  the 
very  nature  of  things  they  would  be  more  than 
willing  that  all  records  and  recollections  of  their 
birthplace  and  pedigree  should  be  blotted  out  for- 
ever. 

The  narrative  as  given  above  I  had  partly  from 
the  lips  of  Dr.  Colver  himself,  and  partly  from  Bap- 
tists in  Richmond  who  were  personally  acquainted 
with  the  Lumpkin  household. 

Lumpkin's  slave-pen  consisted  of  about  half  an 
acre  of  land  near  the  center  of  the  older  portion  of 
Richmond.  The  patch  lay  very  low  in  a  deep  hol- 
low or  "  bottom,"  as  it  might  be  called,  through 
which  a  small  stream  of  water  ran  very  slowly. 
In  reaching  this  place  of  sighs  from  Broad  Street, 
one  had  to  climb  down  the  incline  of  a  sandy  em- 
bankment nearly  one  hundred  feet.  The  descent 
was  steep,  irregular,  and  in  places  difficult.  In  ap- 
proaching the  place  from  the  Franklin  Street  side, 


76  HISTORY  OF  THE 

the  descent  was  quite  gradual  and  easy  by  means  of 
a  narrow,  crooked,  untidy  lane.  Around  the  outer 
borders  of  the  said  half  acre  was  a  fence,  in  some 
places  ten  or  twelve  feet  in  height.  Inside  of  the 
fence,  and  very  close  to  it,  was  a  tall  old  brick  build- 
ing which  Lumpkin  had  used  for  his  dwelling-house. 
Near  by  were  other  buildings,  also  of  brick,  where 
he  used  to  shelter  the  more  peaceable  of  his  slave- 
gangs  that  were  brought  to  him  from  time  to  time 
to  be  sold.  But  in  the  center  of  the  plot  was  the 
chief  object  of  interest — a  low,  rough,  brick  build- 
ing known  as  the  "  slave  jail."  TJI  this  building 
Lumpkin  was  accustomed  to  imprison  the  disobe- 
dient and  punish  the  refractory.  The  stout  iron 
bars  were  still  to  be  seen  across  one  or  more  of  the 
windows  during  my  repeated  visits  to  this  place. 
In  the  rough  floor,  and  at  about  the  center  of  it, 
was  the  stout  iron  staple  and  whipping  ring. 

It  was  in  this  old  jail — this  place  of  horrible 
memories  to  the  blacks — that  I  found  that  noble 
man  of  God,  Rev.  Charles  H.  Corey,  engaged  in 
teaching  a  company  of  freedmen  preachers.  Dr. 
Colver,  far  advanced  in  years,  had  now  withdrawn, 
and  Brother  Corey  was  his  successor.  In  the  tall 
old  dwelling-house  of  the  late  Mr.  Lumpkin,  Dr. 
Corey  kept  house  with  his  devoted,  self-sacrificing, 
New  England  wife.  I  was  their  guest.  They  were 
happy  in  the  work  and  so  was  I.  For  hideous  as 
were  the  surroundings,  a  whole  race  had  been  born 
in  a  day  into  liberty.  In  the  other  buildings  above 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  77 

alluded  to,  colored  students  for  the  ministry  were 
living  and  boarding  in  common.  They  too  were 
happy.  Glad  faces  greeted  me  on  every  side.  The 
old  slave  pen  was  no  longer  the  "devil's  half  acre" 
but  God's  half  acre.  As  Corresponding  Secretary 
of  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  T 
had  repeatedly  come  to  Richmond  to  purchase  bet- 
ter quarters  for  this  Christian  School.  And  when 
it  was  announced  to  the  fifty  students  that  I  had 
succeeded  in  buying  the  United  States  Hotel,  on 
Main  Street,  their  enthusiasm  scarcely  knew  any 
bounds.  Never  shall  I  forget  their  beaming  black 
faces  and  their  eyes  glistening  with  joy  when  Dr. 
Corey  and  I  told  them  the  following : 

First — That  the  great  hotel  originally  cost 
$110,000. 

Second — That  such  was  the  changed  state  of 
things  that  the  owners  were  glad  enough  to  throw 
oft'  the  fraction  of  $100,000  and  sell  it  to  the  Society 
for  $10,000. 

Third — That  it  would  however  require  several 
thousand  dollars  over  and  above  the  purchase 
money  to  fit  it  up  and  furnish  it  for  school  pur- 
poses, and  consequently — 

Fourth — We  must  have  the  colored  people  help 
financially. 

Then  the  prompt  and  generous  way  in  which 
they  pledged  themselves  to  help  was  wonder- 
ful. Several  said  they  would  earn  and  give  five 


78  HISTORY  OF  THE 

dollars  apiece.  Others  pledged  ten  dollars.  Still 
others  twenty,  twenty-five,  and  fifty  dollars  each. 
Every  student  was  requested  to  say  a  few  words  if 
he  chose  in  reference  to  the  purchase  of  the  new 
property,  and  the  hopes  he  had  for  himself  and  his 
people  in  connection  with  this  school.  All  spoke 
in  loud  praise  of  Dr.  Colver  and  Dr.  Corey  and  of 
their  assistant  teachers.  Rev.  James  H.  Holmes, 
then  as  now  the  pastor  of  the  First  Colored  Baptist 
Church  in  Richmond,  a  church  of  4,000  members, 
was  one  of  the  pupils  in  this  Lumpkin's  Jail  School, 
and  spoke  for  himself  and  his  people  admirably. 
So  did  Richard  Wells,  pastor  of  the  Ebenezer 
Baptist  Church,  and  others  too  numerous  to  men- 
tion. One  man,  whose  name  I  have  forgotten, 
made  quite  a  lengthy  speech,  and  as  he  sat  down 
pledged  himself  to  help  "  right  smart."  I  knew 
well  enough  that  "  right  smart"  was  a  Southern 
provincialism,  and  that  it  meant  a  "  good  deal." 
But  as  Dr.  Corey  had  given  the  assembled  school 
into  my  hands,  so  that  I  was  presiding  on  this  his- 
toric occasion,  I  insisted  on  knowing  how  much 
"  right  smart  "  meant  in  dollars  and  cents.  After 
hesitating  somewhat  and  blushing  as  well  as  an 
African  young  man  well  could,  he  replied  that  it 
meant "  about  fifty  dollars."  This  elicited  applause, 
of  course,  and  I  told  the  students  that,  though  I 
did  not  like  the  phrase  because  it  seemed  to  savor 
of  slang,  nevertheless  they  might  use  it  freely  at 
the  rate  of  fifty  dollars  a  time,  till  our  newly-pur- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  79 

chased  school  quarters  should  be  put  in  good  repair, 
furnished,  and  occupied  free  of  debt. 

I  remember  that  Isaac  P.  Brockenton,  a  colored 
young  pastor,  from  Darlington,  South  Carolina, 
also  a  pupil,  was  present  on  this  memorable  occa- 
sion. He  told  us  that  he  had  already  built  a  meet- 
ing-house for  his  people  since  the  war  closed,  the 
first  offering  towards  it  being  twenty-five  cents 
which  he  himself  contributed.  He  gave  us  a  most 
vivid  picture  of  how  he  led  his  people  to  victory 
from  so  small  a  beginning  as  that.  How  his  church 
members  at  first  laughed  to  scorn  his  poor  little 
twenty-five  cent  piece  as  it  lay  there  lonesome  upon 
the  table ;  and  how  a  year  later  they  cried  for  joy, 
and  sang  and  shouted  triumphantly  over  their  little 
meeting-house,  built  and  paid  for  by  a  great  many 
twenty-five  cent  gifts,  which  they  themselves  had 
brought  in.  It  is  not  at  all  to  be  wondered  at  that 
this  same  man  Brockenton,  child  of  God  and 
brother  of  Jesus  and  hero  of  faith,  as  a  grain  of 
mustard  seed,  has  since  built  two  other  Baptist 
Churches  in  his  own  town  of  Darlington,  the  last 
one  costing  $18,000. 

It  is  such  men  as  these,  Holmes,  Wells,  Brocken- 
ton, and  many  others,  that  Dr.  Corey  and  his  able 
Faculty  have  been  training  for  the  past  twenty-five 
years.  And  I  am  proud  of  them.  They  are  my 
brothers  in  Christ,  and  I  have  not  so  much  as  a 
shred  of  sympathy  for  the  man  who  despises  them. 


80  HISTORY  OF  THE 

To  slur  them,  to  harm  them,  is  to  slur  and  harm 
Jesus. 

So  nobly  did  the  colored  students  and  the  colored 
churches  and  people  of  Richmond  and  Virginia 
come  up  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  in  this  crisis,  that 
it  awakened  great  enthusiasm  all  through  the  North, 
and  among  the  white  Christians  in  the  South  as 
well.  And  here  let  me  say  that  just  in  proportion 
as  the  freedmen  brethren  deny  themselves  in  all 
unwise  and  wasteful  personal  and  family  expendi- 
tures, and  give  largely  and  liberally  to  the  Home 
Mission  Society  for  the  building  up  of  these  young 
colleges,  just  in  that  proportion  will  they  receive 
more  and  more  help  from  their  brethren  of  the 
white  race  all  over  the  land.  Men  love  to  help  those 
that  help  themselves.  Let  the  negroes  therefore  make 
Wesley's  motto  their  motto,  viz  :  "  To  EARN  all  they 
can,  SAVE  all  the}7  can,  and  GIVE  all  they  can." 

It  was  a  proud  day  when  the  students  and  teach- 
ers of  Lumpkin's  Jail  marched  up  out  of  that  old 
slave-pen,  and  took  possession  of  the  United  States 
Hotel,  at  the  corner  of  Nineteenth  and  Main  Streets. 
That  noble  property,  once  the  fashionable  hotel  of 
Richmond,  so  ample  and  so  admirable  in  all  its  ap- 
pointments, had  now  been  thoroughly  cleaned  and 
repaired,  and  furnished  with  new  school  furniture, 
and  was  joyfully  dedicated  to  its  new  and  sacred 
uses  with  hymns  of  praise  and  songs  of  thanks- 
giving to  God.  It  is  still  in  use  under  the  name  of 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  81 

the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary,  and  Dr.  Corey 
is  the  honored  President. 

He  who  began  as  the  despised  teacher  of  negroes 
(despised  only  by  the  worst  people,  never  by  the 
best)  has  been  heard  from  since.  Twenty-seven 
years  ago  he  was  an  unknown  young  man  com- 
mencing a  work  for  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  spirit  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  nothing  could  daunt  him.  Shel- 
tered beneath  the  roof  of  an  abandoned  slave  jail, 
the  best  quarters  he  and  his  poor  freedmen-students 
could  for  the  time  being  command,  he  cheerfully 
bided  his  time.  He  seems  never  to  have  pined  for 
social  recognition  ;  he  was  too  busy.  If  the  roughs 
jeered  him  on  the  streets,  he  not  only  bore  it  pa- 
tiently, but  answered  them  back  with  a  benevolent 
smile.  And  this  habit  of  tossing  back  loving 
smiles  to  those  unfriendly  to  his  work  on  the  New 
Testament  plan,  has  left  dimples  in  Dr.  Corey's 
cheeks.  If  anybody  doubts  it,  let  him  engage  the 
genial  Doctor  in  conversation  about  the  amusing 
occurrences  of  those  early  days  of  his  life  in  Rich- 
mond, and  those  same  benevolent  dimples  will  reap- 
pear upon  his  face. 

Since  those  early  days  he  has  received  four  times 
in  succession  the  complimentary  title  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity  from  four  different  colleges.  Two  of  these 
colleges  are  Northern  and  two  are  Southern.  And 
the  two  in  the  South,  I  am  glad  to  say,  viz :  Rich- 
mond College,  in  Virginia,  the  very  spot  where  he 
has  done  his  life  work  of  love,  and  Baylor  Univer- 


82  HISTORY  OF  THE 

sity,  in  Texas,  were  several  years  in  advance  of 
the  two  Northern  Colleges  in  bestowing  these  well 
merited  honors  upon  this  devoted  son  of  Christ.* 

RECOLLECTIONS  BY  MRS.  H.  G.  SMITH,  A  FORMER 
TEACHER  IN  COLVER  INHTITUTE. 

Mrs.  H.  Goodman-Smith  f  provides  some  inter- 
esting reminiscences  of  her  four  years  connection 
with  the  School  in  Richmond : 

"  The  first  two  years  in  Richmond  we  were 
located  at  Lumpkin's  Jail,  where  our  sessions  were 


*The  writer  protested  two  or  three  times  against  the  last 
paragraphs  in  the  letter  of  Dr.  Simmons,  deeming  them  un- 
necessary. But  Dr.  Simmons  insists  on  his  "  rights  as  the 
author  of  the  article  to  have  it  appear  in  its  integrity,"  as  he 
wrote  it.  He  adds,  under  date  of  September  27th,  1894,  just 
after  the  death  of  his  accomplished  and  devoted  wife : 

"  I  am  eager  to  see  your  book.  When  will  it  come  ?  How  I 
wish  my  precious  wife  could  have  seen  it.  She  took  the  most 
profound  interest  in  you  and  your  wife  and  your  noble  work. 
Neither  you  of  the  Richmond  School,  nor  the  teachers  of  any  • 
of  the  seven  schools  I  helped  to  establish,  will  ever  know  your 
indebtedness  to  that  loving,  praying,  faithful  wife,  who  at 
length  rests  from  her  labors  and  her  works  do  follow  her." 

f  Miss  Goodman  was  a  lady  of  culture  and  refinement.  After 
four  years  of  efficient  and  self-denying  service  at  Richmond, 
and  three  years  at  Benedict  Institute,  Columbia,  South  Caro- 
ina,  she  was  transferred  to  Leland  University,  New  Orleans, 
Louisiana,  where  she  remained  one  year.  She  was  subsequently 
married  to  Mr.  W.  H.  Smith.  Their  comfortable  home  at 
Rockford,  Illinois,  was  always  open  to  weary  missionary  work- 
ers. Mr.  Smith  was  a  helper  of  all  worthy  causes,  and  was 
especially  interested  in  the  work  for  the  colored  people. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  83 

held,  while  the  teachers  occupied  rooms  in  another 
building  on  the  premises.  So  entirely  absorbed 
were  we  in  our  arduous  work  of  teaching  these 
eager  students,  some  of  whom  were  already  pastors, 
that  our  uninviting  surroundings  were  unthought 
of  by  us,  only  as  our  Northern  friends  commented 
on  them  in  their  visits  to  us.  In  addition  to  teach- 
ing, there  was  the  distribution  of  clothing  and  bed- 
ding to  the  needy,  and  general  missionary  work, 
with  the  giving  of  concerts  for  the  benefit  of  the 
students. 

"An  afternoon  class,  consisting  in  all  of  eighty, 
many  of  whom  were  mothers  and  some  grand- 
mothers, was  conducted  by  Mrs.  Corey  and  myself. 
These  earnest  women  highly  appreciated  their  op- 
portunity, and  rejoiced  greatly  when  they  had 
learned  to  read  '  the  Word.' 

"  In  a  recent  visit  to  the  Richmond  Theological 
Seminary,  I  could  but  contrast  the  students  of  to- 
day with  those  of  twenty-six  years  ago.  I  was 
amazed  at  the  development  of  character,  the  sound 
thought,  the  readiness  of  expression,  and  the  refine- 
ment in  manners,  and  the  neatness  of  person  of 
those  I  saw.  These  results  must  have  come  from 
hard  and  persistent  personal  labor. 

"Among  the  visitors  to  our  Institute  was  Hon. 
Henry  Bill,  of  Norwich,  Connecticut.  Though  a 
Congregationalist,  he  became  deeply  interested  in 
our  work.  He  remarked  that  '  he  would  rather  see 
his  son  the  President  of  such  an  Institution  for 


84  HISTORY  OF  THE 

colored  people  than  to  see  him  the  President  of  the 
United  States.' 

"  Mr.  Bill  gave  largely  of  the  books  he  published, 
both  to  the  Library  of  the  School  and  also  to  some 
of  the  Sunday-schools  in  Richmond.  One  of  our 
pupils,  J.  E.  Jones,  had  become  nearly  prepared  for 
college.  Mr.  Bill  furnished  the  money  for  his  ex- 
penses for  nearly  five  years  at  Madison  University, 
the  rest  being  secured  by  me  from  my  personal 
friends.  After  graduating  with  honor,  Prof.  Jones 
has  been  for  nineteen  years  a  teacher  in  the  Insti- 
tution of  which  he  was  formerly  a  pupil.  Prof. 
Vassar  also  was  graduated  from  Madison  Univer- 
sity, and  for  eighteen  years  has  been  a  teacher  in 
the  Institution  where  he  entered  as  a  pupil,  then 
being  unable  to  write  his  name. 

"  I  shall  never  forget  '  Uncle  Jetfry  '  and  his  faith- 
ful services,  and  his  devotion  to  the  services  of  the 
Master.  I  am  reminded  by  my  friend,  Mrs.  Sarah 
Hanson  Nichols,  a  generous  friend  of  the  Semi- 
nary, and  my  present  hostess  as  I  write,  of  an  inci- 
dent which  occurred  during  a  visit  she  paid  at 
Richmond.  Uncle  Jeft'ry,  while  attending  to  some 
service  in  my  room,  seeming  unconscious  of  our 
presence,  said  half  aloud,  '  Last  night  I  had  a 
vision;  and  the  old  woman  (meaning  his  recently 
departed  wife)  was  there,  I  seed  her  plain  as  I'se 
looking  at  you  wid  dese  two  eyes ;  she  was  a  walk- 
ing the  golden  streets  wid  her  silver  slippers  on. 
Dar  wasirt  a  black  one  thar.  Dey  had  all  been 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  85 

washed  in  de  blood  of  de  Lam ;  and  made  clean 
and  white  as  snow.  And  she  said,  "yonder,  dar 
he's  coming,  Old  Jeffry."  Another  time  he  met  rne 
coming  out  of  the  Schoolroom,  and  said,  '  Its  heaps 
of  burdens  you're  a  toting  on  your  shoulders  for 
my  poor  down-trodden  race,  and  I  prays  for  you 
and  Dr.  Corey  every  da}'.  If  anybody  in  de  world 
ought  to  get  de  blessing  it  is  you,  sure  nuff.'  One 
evening  while  coming  from  his  praying  meeting  he 
said  to  me,  '  How  did  you  like  my  meeting  ?  '  I 
replied,  'Very  much,  did'nt  you?'  'No,'  he  said, 
'  dar  was  so  many  prayers  and  not  a  single  grunt, 
mighty  cold  Missus,  mighty  cold,  so  many  prayers 
and  not  a  single  grunt.'  He  was  accustomed  to  sing 
with  great  pathos  and  power  his  favorite  hymns, 
'  we'll  walk  tru  de  valley  in  peace  if  Jesus  His  self 
be  our  leader  dar,'  and  '  Hark  from  de  tooms  a 
doleful  sound.' 

"  Uncle  Jeff  had  been  a  hard  worker.  He  was 
bent  and  crippled  and  almost  toothless.  He  had 
been  owned  by  a  man  who  was  very  cruel,  and  who, 
under  the  disappointment  of  losing  his  three  hun- 
dred slaves,  hanged  himself  at  the  close  of  the  war. 
Dr.  Parker  said  to  him  :  'And  how  did  you  feel, 
Uncle  Jeff,  when  your  old  master  wras  dead  ? ' 
With  his  hand  on  his  mouth,  he  said,  '  You  see, 
Doctor,  I  tried  to  be  resigned,'  but  the  merry  twin- 
kle in  his  eye  and  the  suppressed  te,  he,  he,  showed 
that,  to  say  the  least,  his  grief  had  not  lasted  very 


86  HISTORY  OF  THE 

"  In  reviewing  the  past  I  recall  my  visit  to  Dr. 
Colver,  at  Chicago,  a  short  time  before  he  died. 
He  asked  me  about  James  H.  Holmes,  the  good, 
strong  man,  who  gave  promise  of  being  a  power  in 
the  church,  and  Richard  Wells,  so  reliable  and 
trustworthy.  His  farewell  messages  were  sent  to  his 
beloved  pupils,  and  his  congratulations  to  Dr.  Corey 
for  his  successes. 

"Be  assured  that  though  my  connection  with 
the  Institution  has  long  since  ceased,  my  thoughts 
will  always  center  there,  and  my  best  wishes  will 
follow  the  President  and  students,  and  I  believe,  as 
did  my  departed  husband,  that  it  is  the  best  con- 
ducted school  of  its  kind  that  we  ever  visited." 


As  the  lease  of  Lumpkin's  Jail  was  to  expire  in 
1870,  it  became  necessary  to  secure  a  more  perma- 
nent location.  The  United  States  Hotel  (until  1853 
known  as  the  Union  Hotel)  on  the  corner  of  19th 
and  Main  Streets,  was  purchased  January  26th, 
1870,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  the  building 
was  occupied  by  the  school.  The  main  building, 
which  is  of  brick,  fronts  sixty-two  feet  on  Main 
Street  and  fifty  feet  on  Nineteenth  Street.  It  is 
four  stories  high.  An  L,  one  hundred  feet  long 
and  thirty-nine  feet  wide,  runs  along  Nineteenth 
Street.  The  building  was  erected  in  1818,  and  it 
was  at  the  time  the  most  fashionable  hotel  of  Rich- 
mond. It  contains  about  fifty  rooms.  The  prop- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  87 

erty  is  said  to  have  cost  originally  $110,000.     It  was 
purchased  for  $10,000. 

In  this  part  of  the  city  in  those  days  were  the 
homes  of  the  prosperous  and  fashionable  families. 
The  hotel  was  the  stopping  place  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished people  of  the  State.  The  members  of 
the  General  Assembly  who  boarded  there  did  not 
dine  with  the  ordinary  guests,  but  took  their  meals 
entirely  by  themselves.  After  the  building  ceased 
to  be  a  hotel,  it  was  used  as  a  medical  college.  In 
the  days  of  the  war  it  was  a  Confederate  Hospital. 
Immediately  after  the  war  a  school  for  colored 
children  was  taught  in  its  largest  rooms. 

The  Freedmen's  Bureau,  from  the  funds  appro- 
priated to  "  erection,  rental  and  repair  of  school 
houses,"  furnished  the  money.  Rev.  R.  M.  Manly 
was  at  this  time  State  Superintendent  of  Education 
under  the  Freedmen's  Bureau,  and  actively  pro- 
moted the  interests  of  the  school.  The  trustees 
were  A.  B.  Capwell,  James  B.  Simmons,  J.  S. 
Backus,  E.  E.  L.  Taylor,  Albert  Brooks,  Henry  K. 
Ellyson  and  R.  M.  Manly. 

After  obtaining  possession  of  the  building  it  was 
solemnly  dedicated  to  God.  In  one  of  the  upper- 
most rooms  we  knelt  with  Secretary  Simmons,  and 
besought  God's  blessing  upon  the  building  and  upon 
the  work  of  Christian  Education,  for  which  it  was 
to  be  used.  Extensive  repairs  were  needed ;  many 
of  the  windows  were  boarded  up ;  the  pigeons  had 


88  HISTORY  OF  THE 

taken  possession  of  some  of  the  rooms,  and  the 
plastering  had  fallen  in  many  others  of  them. 

After  the  duties  of  the  school  were  over,  the  stu- 
dents in  the  old  jail  hastened  daily  with  alacrity  to 
the  newly-purchased  building,  and  in  various  ways 
assisted  in  repairing  it;  they  contributed  fully  a 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  labor.  They  also  gave 
of  their  own  means.  They  went  through  the  city, 
and  from  people,  both  white  and  colored,  they  col- 
lected a  $1,000.  This  was  secured  in  small  sums, 
and  the  list  containing  the  names  of  contributors 
was  more  than  six  yards  in  length. 

The  School  for  a  long  time  had  been  familiarly 
known  as  "  THE  COLVER  INSTITUTE,"  but  for  satis- 
factory reasons  the  more  general  name,  "  THE  RICH- 
MOND INSTITUTE,"  was  inserted  in  the  deed  which 
conveyed  the  property  to  the  Trustees,  and  under 
that  name  it  was  incorporated  by  an  act  passed  by 
the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  February  10th, 
1876. 

On  November  22d,  1876,  the  Trustees  met  in 
New  York  City,  and  organized  under  the  provis- 
ions of  the  very  liberal  charter  which  had  been 
granted  them,  exempting  from  taxation  property  to 
the  amount  of  $500,000. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.     89 


GO 

w 


90  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTKR  VIII. 


Extracts  from  Official  Letters  of  Secretaries — Extracts 
from  other  Letters — Needy  Students. 

JRHE  following  extracts  from  letters  from  Secre- 
tary Simmons  of  the  American  Baptist  Home 
Mission   Society,  and  from  others,  will  give  some 
idea  of  the  growth  and  development  of  the  work  : 

"NOVEMBER    3D,    1869. 

"  I  want  you  to  ask  God,  the  great  and  rich  God, 
for  the  sake  of  his  son  Jesus,  to  help  you  find  one 
or  several  of  his  stewards,  who  will  give  $25,000  to 
endow  the  Colver  Institute.  "Work  among  those 
who  love,  and  will  be  glad  to  honor,  the  name  of 
that  prince  among  men,  Nathaniel  Colver. 

"J.  B.  SIMMONS." 
"FEBRUARY  12TH,  1870. 

"  But  God  will  give  us  the  money,  and  it  will 
pay  large  returns.  Let  us  have  faith,  and  so  please 
Jesus.  We  shall  soon  stand  in  His  presence  with 
our  work  done.  J.  B.  S." 

"FEBRUARY    12TH,    1870. 

"  To  get  money  you  must  open  your  mouth  wide, 
like  a  young  robin  swallowing  a  big  grasshopper 
whole.  *  *  *  *  You  do  not  know  how  the 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  91 

burdens  have  accumulated  upon  me  since  I  have 
left  you.  M y  heart  is  absorbed  with  a  desire,  irre- 
pressible and  painful,  to  found  a  school  like  yours, 
and  iu  a  building  as  good  as  yours,  in  every  one  of 
these  Southern  States.  To  this  grand  work  I  must 
give  myself.  Hence,  I  shall  have  to  leave  you  and 
your  students  the  work  of  putting  that  building  in 
order.  Tell  the  students  so.  Lay  the  heavy  bur- 
den on  them.  Have  no  scruples.  Tell  them  I  want 
to  know  what  they  will  amount  to  when  they  be- 
come pastors,  when  each  one  ought  to  raise  from 
$5,000  to  $25,000  alone  in  building  meeting  houses, 
if  all  of  them  together  cannot  now  raise  this  small 
sum  of  $5,000.  J.  B.  S." 

In  the  following  extract  reference  is  made  to  sub- 
scriptions secured  by  the  students  for  the  necessary 
repairs  of  the  building  on  the  corner  of  Nineteenth 
and  Main  Streets.  The  list  was  more  than  six 
yards  long : 

"APRIL  STH,  1870. 

"  You  do  not  know  how  pleased  I  am  with  the 
three  yards  and  one-half  of  names  you  send  me.  I 
have  measured,  and  three  and  a  half  is  the  number. 
Add  to  the  list  when  you  get  another  yard  of  them. 
A  yard  at  a  time  is  what  I  desire  you  to  send.  *  * 
You  are  doing  nobly.  Keep  on.  Tell  the  students 
I  am  greatly  pleased  with  what  they  have  done. 
Let  none  be  discouraged.  Everyone  will  reap  at 
length  if  he  faint  not.  Everyone.  Tell  them  I  say 


92  HISTORY  OF  THE 

so.      But  my  saying  is  of  little  account.      God's 
word  says  so.  J.  B.  S." 

"JUNE    13TH,    1870. 

"  Ever  dear  Brother,  I  wish  you  to  know  that  we 
rejoice  exceedingly  at  the  success  the  Lord  has 
given  you  in  Richmond.  As  the  colored  people 
voted  by  a  unanimous  uprising  to  pray  for  you  and 
help  you,  so  do  we.  *  *  *  *  These  colleges 
for  colored  preachers,  like  the  whites,  cannot  be 
carried  along  with  real  power  unless  they  can  have 
the  benefit  of  permanent  endowment  funds.  We 
expect  you  to  prove  yourself,  by  God's  help,  the 
author  and  organizer  of  a  great  success  in  Rich- 
mond. J.  B.  S." 

"JULY  TTH,  1870. 

"As  an  encouragement  to  you,  let  me  say  that, 
after  applying  day  after  day,  by  laborious  effort,  to 
some  forty  persons,  being  turned  off  shortly  and 
again  even  rudely,  God  brought  me  at  length  to  one 
of  His  hidden  saints,  who  said,  before  I  had  finished 
stating  the  great  work.  '  My  brother,  I  think  the 
Lord  sent  you  here.  I  have  money  and  I  want  to 
give  it.  I  want  to  be  mainly  my  own  executor.' 
That  person  has  already  paid  into  our  treasury 
several  thousand  dollars,  and  more  are  coming. 

"J.  B.  S." 

"  SEPTEMBER  16TH,  1870. 
"  Be  careful  to  spend  no  money  on  bad  material 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  93 

in  students.  Even  a  house  of  worthless  bricks 
tumbles  down.  A  chief  donor  just  now  says,  'I 
.  give  cheerfully  to  them.  But  they  must  dig  as  I 
had  to.'  Another,  who  recently  gave  several  thou- 
sands to  our  Freedmen  Fund,  worked  his  way 
through  college,  and  is  indignant  at  any  thought  of 
shiftlessness  on  the  part  of  those  students  whom  he 
is  helping.  He  is  terribly  in  earnest.  J.  B.  S." 

"DECEMBER  27TH,  1870. 

"All  day  long  I  have  been  treading  these  streets 
to  collect  funds  for  your  school,  and  no  man  has 
given  me  a  dollar.  Tell  your  students  this.  Tell 
them  that  my  faith  is  such,  however,  that  if  forty- 
nine  refuse  me,  that  I  believe  the  fiftieth  man  will 
give  me  at  least  one  dollar.  Has  God  given  them 
such  faith  as  this,  and  are  they  thus  at  work  ?  Some 
are,  I  know.  Everyone  of  them  should  be.  Tell 
them  I  say  so.  Tell  them  to  pray  for  me  as  I  pray 
for  them.  We  are  all  in  partnership,  and  Jesus  is 
the  Head  of  the  Firm.  J.  B.  S." 

"JANUARY    7TH,    1871. 

"  While  He  blesses  me,  and  your  teachers  work 
and  bear  burdens,  you  must  bear  burdens  too. 
Those  at  the  North  who  give,  charge  me  to  tell  you 
so.  You  must  help.  Everyone  of  you.  I  want, 
1st.  That  you  should  pray  a  great  deal  more.  By 
ones  as  directed  in  Matt,  vi,  6  and  by  twos  as  in  Matt, 
xviii,  19.  Pray  about  this  particular  matter  of  more 


94  HISTORY  OF  THE 

money.  2d.  I  want  everyone  of  you  who  can  to 
pay  partly  or  wholly  for  your  own  board  from  this 
day  onward.  3d.  I  want  you  to  help  to  save  ex- 
penses of  fuel  and  lights  and  everything.  4th.  I 
want  you  to  go  kindly  and  with  cheerful  courage 
to  the  poor  and  the  rich  and  liberal  Christians  of 
Richmond,  of  all  denominations,  and  ask  for  aid. 
Go  also  to  the  men  of  the  world.  J.  B.  S." 

"FEBRUARY    3D,    1871. 

"  I  have  great  pleasure  in  your  School.  I  pray 
for  you  much.  And  upon  every  remembrance  of 
yourself  and  wife,  and  your  teachers  and  your 
pupils,  I  say  :  '  God  bless  them  every  one.'  *  *  * 
We  pray  for  the  donors  to  your  School  often. 

"J.  B.  S." 

"FEBRUARY  24m,  1871. 

"  Do  not  think  for  a  moment  of  leaving  Rich- 
mond. There  is  no  field  on  earth  where  you  can 
be  more  useful,  in  my  judgment,  or  see  greater 
results  of  your  labor.  But  be  careful ;  do  not  over- 
work. Take  whatever  rest  is  needed  each  day. 
Don't  wait  until  vacation.  That  is  often  fatal. 
But  don't  give  up  the  work  at  Richmond  on  any 
account.  You  have  your  hand  in,  God  has  blessed 
you  in  the  work,  and  I  am  confident  that  He  will 
still  bless  you  in  it.  It  is  the  blessing  of  the  Lord 
that  maketh  rich,  and  He  addeth  no  sorrow  there- 
with. J.  B.  S." 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  95 

"  SEPTEMBER  15xH,  1871. 

"  It  was  on  the  12th  inst.  Resolved,  '  That  the 
Board  finds  it  indispensable  that  the  teachers  of 
freedmen  schools  keep  a  constant  and  watchful  eye 
to  the  raising  of  funds ;  and  that  the  principals  and 
male  assistants,  specially,  be  requested  to  give  their 
energies  each  Sabbath  to  preaching  or  delivering 
addresses,  and  taking  subscriptions  and  collections 
for  the  freedrnen's  educational  work  of  this  Society.' 
As  you  have  done  this  all  along,  you  will,  I  know, 
cheerfully  keep  on  as  your  own  strength  may  war- 
rant. *  *  *  If  all  worked  as  heartily  and 
earnestly  as  you  in  collecting,  our  Board  would  not 
need  to  pass  many  resolutions.  J.  B.  S." 

"OCTOBER    31ST,    1871. 

"Lending  does  not  seem  to  me  to  be  much  en- 
couraged in  the  Bible.  I  know  it  says,  '  Do  good 
and  lend,'  but  it  is  added,  '  hoping  for  nothing 
again,'  which  makes  it  much  the  same  as  giving. 
It  is  the  way  the  ignorant  poor  impoverish  them- 
selves, this  miserable,  MISERABLE,  MISERABLE 
habit  they  have  of  lending  to  irresponsible  and  dis- 
honest people  without  taking  legal  written  security. 
One  of  our  colored  students  has  from  $100  to  $300 
thus  loaned,  and  behold  we  have  to  feed  him  or 
turn  him  out  of  school.  J.  B.  S." 

"JANUARY    8TH,    1872. 

"  Let  us  keep   up  good  heart.     At  times,  with 


96  HISTORY  OF  THE 

the  pressure  of  this  work  upon  me,  my  heart  grows 
sad.  But  it  ought  not  to  be  so.  I  am  ashamed  that 
it  is  so,  for  God  has  the  supervision  of  this  work. 
The  more  than  one  hundred  laborers  in  the  South 
half  of  our  field,  whose  salaries  are  more  or  less 
dependent  upon  my  efforts,  are  every  one  very  dear 
to  God.  He  loves  them.  He  is  in  the  field  with 
them.  He  defends  them.  And  though  I  am  irre- 
ligiously anxious  at  times,  I  am  glad  to  tell  you  that 
it  is  sweet  to  me  to  commend  them  daily  to  God's 
care ;  and  of  the  whole  one  hundred  none  more  so 
than  yourself  and  your  wife  and  your  fellow-teach- 
ers. J.  B.  S." 

The  following  letter  has  reference  to  seventeen 
students  who  were  appointed  as  missionaries  in  Vir- 
ginia during  the  summer  of  1872.  Fifteen  had  also 
been  appointed  and  served  during  the  summer  of 
1871: 

"MAY  16TH,  1872. 

"  Your  telegram  is  received.  Enclosed  find  our 
check  for  eighty-five  dollars,  in  advance  on  salaries 
of  your  seventeen  student-missionaries,  to  help 
them  to  their  fields.  Report  to  J.  M.  Whitehead 
at  once,  please,  just  how  much  you  paid  to  each. 
Some  may  need  more  than  others.  Enclosed  in 
another  envelope  we  send  you  the  seventeen  com- 
missions and  a  copy  of '  Principles  and  Purposes '  for 
each  one.  J.  B.  S." 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.     97 

"OCTOBER    12TH,    1872. 

"  Your  students  made  from  forty-eight  to  three 
hundred  visits  each.  Urge  upon  their  attention 
Acts  v,  42,  and  Acts  xx,  20  in  the  matter  of  this 
household  preaching.  It  is  a  vast  power. 

"J.  B.  S." 

"NOVEMBER    30TH,    1872. 

"  No  students  thus  far,  as  a  whole,  have  equalled 
yours  in  raising  funds.  That  is,  your  school  of  stu- 
dents have  done  more  than  any  other  school  of  stu- 
dents. Some  individuals  in  the  other  schools  have 
done  as  much  or  more,  perhaps,  than  any  one  of 
yours.  But  God  has  greatly  blessed  and  helped 
you  in  training  your  men  to  raise  money.  Do  not 
lose  your  art.  Do  not  let  your  school  lose  its  pres- 
tige. Keep  it  ahead.  '  Ole  Virginny  never  tire.' 
*  *  *  Go  everywhere  among  your  people 
and  stir  them  up  on  this  subject.  Beg  their  money. 
Beg  their  prayers.  Beg  their  sympathies.  Preach 
on  the  subject ;  lecture  on  it  and  pray  about  it. 
The  $1,000  you  have  raised  will  soon  be  increased 
to  $2,000  if  you  heartily  work  together.  J.  B.  S." 

Our  school  at  Richmond  was  the  first  among  all 
the  institutions  of  the  South  to  employ  colored 
teachers.  They  have  now  been  in  our  institution 
for  more  than  twenty  years. 

"  DECEMBER  27TH,  1872. 
"  I  was  in  hopes  (and  I  do  hope  still)  that  your 


98  HISTORY  OF  THE 

colored  assistants  would  prove  a  grand  success. 
Your  movement  in  that  line  is  popular  both  with 
whites  and  blacks.  You  do  not  know  how  reso- 
lutely colored  leaders  have  pressed  us  to  employ 
and  pay  colored  teachers.  I  do  hope  you  will  fight 
it  out  on  this  line.  '  Look  not  back,  nor  tarry  in 
all  this  plain.'  I  pray  you  take  your  strongest  and 
ablest  students  (those  who  combine  strong  minds 
with  broad,  generous,  loving  hearts),  and  drill  them, 
and  drill  them,  and  DRILL  them  privately,  until  they 
ache  down  to  the  very  core  of  their  hearts  and  mar- 
row with  a  sense  of  their  responsibility  to  God  and 
their  race.  As  to  secular  work,  Paul  made  tents, 
and  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  himself  wrought  as  a 
carpenter.  Ministers  who  don't,  lack  one  grand 
element  of  power.  The  example  you  set  and  the 
training  you  give  to  your  students  in  secular  mat- 
ters is  an  all-important  part  of  their  education. 

"J.  B.  S." 

In  response  to  an  announcement  to  Dr.  Simmons 
of  a  handsome  donation  by  a  Virginian,  he  writes : 

"JANUARY    29TH,    1873. 

"  I  doubt  not  there  are  full  one  hundred  more  in 
Virginia  like  him,  or  the  equivalent  of  one  hundred. 
Some  can  give  more  and  some  less.  Tell  your 
students  this.  Make  it  plain  to  them.  And  rouse 
them  and  charge  them  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  to 
find  these  one  hundred.  They  can.  You  know 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  99 

how  in  your  bold,  kind,  persuasive  way,  to  teach 
them  to  do  it.  Out  of  about  each  forty  persons 
applied  to  by  me,  one  gives  something.  Tell  them 
this.  Can  they  expect  it  will  fare  better  with  them  ? 

"J.  B.  S." 

In  a  season  of  great  financial  depression,  he 
writes : 

"MARCH    19TH,    1873. 

"  In  the  circumstances,  I  would  suggest  three 
things :  1st.  That  you  withdraw  pecuniary  help 
from  students  of  doubtful  worth,  if  you  have  any 
such  on  your  list,  whether  you  are  helping  them 
little  or  much.  2d.  That  school  expenses  be  cut 
down  as  much  as  possible  in  other  ways.  3d.  That 
you  lay  these  facts,  as  to  the  treasury,  on  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  your  pupils  and  fellow-teachers,  and 
that  they  all  join  us  in  praying  God  to  help  us  to  the 
needed  means  for  carrying  on  all  the  schools  during 
the  coming  year.  J.  B.  S." 

Referring  to  the  appointment  of  Dr.  Stone  as 
special  lecturer,  he  writes  : 

"APRIL  16TH,  1873. 

"  Rev.  Mr.  Stone,  D.  D.,  of  Marietta,  Ohio,  was 
appointed  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  Board  to  spend 
a  few  weeks  in  holding  Ministerial  Institutes  for 
freedmen  (students  and  others)  and  lecturing  on 
practical  and  doctrinal  theology,  say  in  the  schools 
from  Washington  to  Augusta.  I  trust  you  will 


100  HISTORY  OF  THE 

give  the  most  full,  early  and  emphatic,  announce- 
ments in  all  the  churches  and  prayer-meetings ; 
that  you  and  your  students  will  write  cordial  letters 
to  men  at  a  distance  and  get  places  of  entertainment 
for  them ;  that  you  and  they  will  labor  personally 
with  all  the  pastors  and  leaders  in  and  around  Rich- 
mond to  induce  them  to  attend ;  and  that  you  will 
secure  eminent  talent  to  render  Dr.  Stone  such  aid 
as  he  may  need.  J.  B.  S." 

"OCTOBER    23D,    1873. 

"  I  beg  you,  and  your  fellow-teachers  and  all  your 
praying  students,  to  make  it  a  special  point,  day  by 
day,  to  pray  that  God  will  give  you  the  choicest 
spirits  for  pupils  in  your  school.  A  school  made 
up  of  such  material,  made  up  of  such  as  God  has 
called,  set  apart  and  annointed  unto  himself,  is 
worth  a  thousand  times  more  than  a  school  made 
up  of  ordinary  material.  Please  impress  this  on  the 
minds  of  all  who  are  about  you  who  pray.  I  join 
you  in  these  prayers.  J.  B.  S." 

The  following  from  Secretary  Taylor,  who  suc- 
ceeded Dr.  Simmons,  shows  what  grave  responsi- 
bilities rested  upon  the  Principals  of  these  Institu- 
tions while  in  their  formative  state: 

"JuLY  TTH,  1874. 

"  I  must  feel,  as  I  do,  that  you  know  a  hundred 
times  more  about  our  Richmond  School  than  I  and 
our  Board  united.  I  propose  to  follow  you  therefore, 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         101 

and  if  there  are  grave  mistakes  in  the  School  at 
Richmond,  Charles  H.  Corey  must  bear  the  respon- 
sibility, very  largely,  of  them,  and  not  I. 

"  E.  E.  L.  TAYLOR,  Cor.  Sec." 

The  following  action  was  taken  respecting  Bene- 
ficiary Aid  in  the  schools  sustained  by  the  Society: 

"JANUARY    22D,    1879. 

"Resolved,  That  the  Board  instruct  the  Princi- 
pals that  further  beneficiaries  should  be  received 
only  on  specific  donations,  or  on  authority  previously 
received  from  the  Board. 

"  S.  S.  CUTTING,  Cor.  Sec." 

The  action  respecting  assisting  students  in  the 
various  institutions  was  reaffirmed.  The  following 
from  Secretary  Morehouse  on  this  matter  is  official : 

"MARCH    10TH,    1885. 

"After  June,  1885,  no  appropriations  will  be 
made  for  the  support  of  beneficiaries  in  the  schools 
beyond  the  amounts  especially  contributed  and 
designated  for  that  purpose."  And  again,  July 
17th,  1885,  "  We  have  decided,  to  cut  off  any  further 
appropriations  from  the  funds  of  the  Society  for 
beneficiary  aid.  *  *  *  *  Unless  the  colored 
churches,  or  unless  the  friends  of  the  colored  people, 
will  respond  for  the  support  of  these  men  studying 
for  the  ministry,  some  of  them  will  have  to  drop 
out  of  their  course." 


102  HISTORY  OF  THE 

A  conference  was  held  in  New  York,  June  4th, 
1879,  in  which  the  interests  of  the  Richmond  In- 
stitute and  the  other  schools  were  considered,  in 
accordance  with  the  following  resolution  : 

"MARCH    10TH,    1879. 

"Resolved,  That  the  Principals  of  our  Freedmen 
Schools  be  instructed  to  meet  in  convention  with 
this  Committee,  to  consider  matters  of  vital  impor- 
tance relative  to  the  successful  prosecution  of  our 
educational  work,  the  meeting  to  be  held  at  these 
rooms  on  Wednesday,  June  4th,  1879." 

"  S.  S.  CUTTING,  Cor.  Sec  " 

"JANUARY    31ST,    1880. 

"In  the  fall  of  1879  we  received  a  communica- 
tion from  the  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Vir- 
ginia Baptist  State  Convention,  Rev.  E.  G.  Corprew, 
submitting  to  us  the  request  of  that  body,  viz :  that 
we  extend  the  Course  of  Instruction  in  Richmond 
Institute,  and  to  so  enlarge  its  facilities  and 
accommodations  as  to  admit  female  students.  In 
December  the  Board  referred  the  subject  to  the 
Corresponding  Secretary  of  this  Society,  with  the 
President  of  the  Institute  and  its  Board  of  Trus- 
tees. 

"  H.  L.  MOREHOUSE,  D.  D.,  Cor.  Sec." 

In  response  to  the  request  above  referred  to,  with 
the  approval  of  the  Board  in  New  York,  the  Rich- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         103 

mond  Institute  admitted  a  limited  number  of  young 
women.  This  was  continued  until  the  Hartshorn 
Memorial  College  for  young  women  was  opened  in 
1883. 

The  following  letter  refers  to  the  purchase  of  a 
new  site  for  buildings  for  the  Institution : 

"APRIL  14TH,  1880. 

"  The  Board  on  Monday  decided  to  purchase  'A' 
of  Mr.  Hoyt's  property,  as  you  will  see  by  the  en- 
closed letter  to  Mr.  Hoyt,  which,  after  reading,  you 
will  please  deliver  to  him.  The  half  of  '  B ' 
would,  undoubtedly,  be  very  desirable,  and  had  we 
the  means  to  invest  in  it,  we  might  have  favored  its 
purchase.  But  'A'  will  be  a  larger  tract  of  land 
than  either  New  York  University  or  Columbia  Col- 
lege own  in  this  city.  It  is  the  decided  conviction 
of  Dr.  Bishop  and  of  the  other  members  of  the 
Educational  Committee  that  one  and  three-quar- 
ters acres  will  be  all  that  is  necessary  for  school 
purposes.  This  is  about  the  amount  included  in 
this  tract.  Buildings  judiciously  planned  and  lo- 
cated on  these  grounds,  will  afford  ample  accommo- 
dations for  every  school  purpose.  Certainly  the 
location  will  be  a  vast  change  for  the  better  over 
the  present  one,  or  over  the  original  one  by  the 
slave  mart.  H.  L.  M.,  Cor.  Sec." 

The  following  letters  refer  to  the  successful  ef- 
forts made  to  secure  the  endowment  of  two  Profes- 
sorships in  the  Institution.  In  the  spring  of  1865, 


104  HISTORY  or  THE 

quite  soon  after  the  fall  of  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina, J.  B.  Hoyt  and  Rev.  Dr.  Lathrop  visited  that 
city.  These  gentlemen,  who  found  me  there  in 
charge  of  the  work  of  the  United  States  Christian 
Commission,  urged  me  to  give  myself  to  labor  for 
the  colored  people  of  the  State.  I  reminded  Mr. 
Hoyt  of  this  when  I  visited  him  with  the  view  of 
securing  this  subscription.  I  told  him  that  through 
his  encouragement  I  had  given  my  life  to  this  work, 
and  that  he  must  stand  by  me  and  help  me  make 
the  work  a  success.  He  contributed  the  sum  of 
$25,000,  and  J.  D.  Rockefeller  also  contributed  the 
sum  of  $25,000 : 

"JANUARY    29TH,    1884. 

"  I  have  good  news  for  you.  I  have  the  promise 
of  $25,000  for  a  Professorship  of  Theology  in  Rich- 
mond Institute,  provided  $25,000  for  another  Pro: 
fessorship  can  be  raised  by  October  1st,  1884.  So 
you  see  we  have  not  been  too  fast  in  deciding  to 
make  this  our  first  high  grade  theological  school. 

"H.  L.  M.,  Cor.  Sec." 

"  SEPTEMBER  15TH,  1884. 

"  Hallelujah!  The  second  $25,000  is  pledged  by 
Mr.  Hoyt.  I  wrote  him  a  careful  letter  last  week. 
He  called  at  the  rooms  to-day  and  said  that  his  wife 
and  himself  talked  it  over  yesterday  (Sunday)  and 
decided  to  do  it.  Again  hallelujah!  Now  for  the 
third  $25,000,  according  to  our  plan. 

"H.  L.  M.,  Cor.  Sec." 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         105 

EXTRACTS  FROM  MISCELLANEOUS  LETTERS. 

Rev.  Dr.  White,  now  of  the  Georgia  Baptist, 
visited  our  School,  where  he  met  Rev.  James  H. 
Holmes,  who  at  that  time  was  the  pastor  of  the 
largest  Baptist  Church  in  the  world,  and  yet  was  a 
pupil  in  the  School,  writes  : 

"AUGUSTA,  GA.,  January  17th,  1870. 

"  I  have  never  in  my  life  had  so  deep  an  impres- 
sion made  upon  me  in  the  same  length  of  time  as 
during  the  twenty-four  hours  spent  with  you  in 
Richmond ;  your  school  is  ever  before  my  eyes. 
The  place,  its  former  use,  etc.,  are  well  calculated 
to  illustrate  the  great  change  that  has  taken  place 
in  this  country  in  the  last  few  years.  Bless  the 
Lord,  O  my  soul.  Our  Schools,  under  the  Baptists, 
are  doing  splendidly.  I  have  frequently  spoken  to 
our  people  of  Brother  Holmes.  I  think  his  ex- 
ample should  be  kept  before  our  ministering 
brethren.  W.  J.  WHITE." 

The  following  shows  the  unabated  interest  of  ex- 
Secretary  Simmons  in  the  work : 

"JANUARY    26TH,    1879. 

"  W.  W.  Colley  is  the  first  of  Richmond  Insti- 
tute graduates  who  goes  to  Africa,  and  the  first 
of  the  seven  schools.  Tell  him  to  be  to  Africa 
what  Judson  was  to  Burmah.  I  am  also  glad  to  see 
that  you  have  four  others  who  are  looking  to  Africa. 


106  HISTORY  OF  THE 

God  bless  them,  every  one,  and  make  them  hero 
missionaries.  I  was  thrilled  with  delight  the  other 
day  to  learn  that  your  students  and  other  colored 
people  have  paid  in  full  $2,000  at  the  Home  Mission 
Rooms  towards  the  endowment  of  Richmond  In- 
stitute. Keep  right  on  in  that  way,  I  entreat  you  ; 
the  endowment  question  is  the  vital  question,  next 
to  the  ordinary  blessings  of  God. 

"  J.  B.  SIMMONS." 


YORK,  March  12th,  1877. 

"  Were  I  you,  I  would  emphasize,  EMPHASIZE, 
EMPHASIZE  the  matter  of  giving  intelligence 
about  Africa  and  praying  for  AFRICA  and  working 
for  AFRICA.  The  school  that  does  the  most  for  that 
cause  will  be  the  most  loved  and  the  most  helped 
by  our  people,  and  at  the  same  time  will  not  be  a 
whit  the  less  useful  in  raising  up  able  and  useful 
laborers  for  the  home  field.  There  is  something 
about  the  cause  of  Home  and  Foreign  Missions 
which  enlarges  the  heart  and  broadens  the  sympa- 
thies and  ennobles  the  whole  being  of  man.  How 
glad  I  am  that  you  believe  this  and  practice  upon 
it.  J.  B.  S." 

The  following  letter  from  a  brother  beloved,  who 
has  toiled  long  and  successfully,  is  introduced  with- 
out apology  : 

"SEPTEMBER    27TH,    1880. 

"  I  wish  I  could  see  you  and  talk  with  you  about 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         107 

our  spiritual  condition.  I  have  fears  that  I  have 
not  faith  enough  for  the  work  of  the  new  year. 
Can  there  be  positions  where  more  real  faith  is 
needed  ?  We  must  look  far  into  the  future  and 
search  out  the  plans  of  God.  I  feel  weak  and 
almost  faithless.  Won't  you  pray  for  me  that  I 
may  overcome  by  faith  ?  My  influence  over  the 
men  I  want  should  be  more  potent.  When  I  see 
these  dull  students  filling  honored  positions,  I  won- 
der if  I  might  not  have  been  more  to  them  if  I  had 
been  filled  more  entirely  with  Christ.  Do  you  ever 
feel  that  way  ?  I  have  been  reading  '  Twenty-six 
Years  in  Burmah,'  Dr.  Binney's  Life.  Is  God  with 
me  in  my  life  as  truly  as  He  was  with  Dr.  Binney? 
This  is  just  as  real  mission  work.  Then,  too,  I 
think  the  School  would  gain  more  if  I  had  the  close 
union  with  God  that  I  ought  to  have.  The  ex- 
perience of  the  last  four  months  has  been  a  shadow 
over  me.  I  failed  in  my  plans.  Was  I  selfish  ? 
Were  iny  motives  false  ?  I  want  more  power — the 
power  that  comes  from  a  closer  union  with  the 
Divine.  My  conflicts  in  taking  up  the  work  of  the 
new  year  have  been  many." 

The  following  letters  are  introduced  to  make 
known  the  struggles  of  men  to  fit  themselves  for 
usefulness.  In  the  days  of  missionary  service  in 
South  Carolina  I  organized  the  church  over  which 
Brother  Govan  at  the  same  time  was  ordained 


108  HISTORY  OF  THE 

pastor.  In  his  old  age  he  was  seeking  to  "  pick  up 
a  few  crumbs "  that  he  might  be  .better  able  to 
teach  his  people : 

"  COLUMBIA,  S.  C.,  December  19th,  1871. 

"At  times  I  have  not  known  at  one  meal  where  I 
could  get  the  other.  I  have  five  in  my  family, 
one  son  sick,  since  dead,  and  only  myself  to  work. 
My  son  died  on  the  27th  of  last  June.  I  buried 
my  daughter  one  year  ago  last  February.  The  wife 
I  had  when  you  were  with  me  is  dead.  They  all 
died  leaving  good  testimony  of  a  hope  of  eternal 
life. 

J.  COREY  GOVAN." 

"  COLUMBIA,  S.  C.,  February  15th,  1872. 

"  I  am  still  at  this  Institute,  but  how  long  I  shall 
stay  I  cannot  say.  I  have  now  in  my  old  age 
bought  twenty-five  acres  of  land,  and  I  want  to  pay 
for  it  and  get  it  cleared  up.  It  is  now  all  wood 
land,  and  I  am  the  strongest  one  to  do  anything.  I 
am  now  sixty-eight  years  old.  By  the  grace  of 
God  I  am  holding  on  my  way  in  the  good  work  to 
which  He  has  called  me,  getting  weaker  in  body, 
but  remain  the  same  in  spirit,  loving  the  Lord  and 
strong  in  the  blessed  Jesus.  I  am  now  here  at  the 
Benedict  learning  about  God,  and  getting  better 
able  to  read  the  Bible  and  preach  the  Gospel  better 
and  better.  It  is  all  from  God,  as  is  also  this 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          109 

School.  I  have  labored  hard  to  get  the  people  to 
come,  and  have  got  some  to  come  here  and  study. 
My  dear  brother,  I  look  upon  you  as  a  father,  as 
you  have  done  more  for  me  than  any  other  white 

man. 

J.  COREY  GOVAN." 

The  following  is  from  a  freedman  student  for  the 
ministry  at  Richmond.  It  was  addressed  to  the 
friend  who  paid  into  the  Home  Mission  Treasury 
fifty  dollars  for  his  board  : 

"  DEAR  FRIEND  :  I  was  a  slave  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  I  heard  of  this  school  last  year,  but  did 
not  have  money  to  pay  for  my  board. 

"  1  have  a  wife  and  two  children,  but  she  thought 
that  she  could  support  the  children  while  I  was  in 
school.  So  I  started.  I  walked  about  100  miles, 
and  slept  out  of  doors.  I  walked  from  noon  one 
day  until  noon  the  next  day  without  a  bite  of  bread. 
But  when  I  got  here  I  was  received  kindly,  though 
I  had  no  money.  I  have  on  the  clothes  that  my 
teacher  gave  me  since  I  came.  I  never  went  to 
school  a  day  before  I  came  here,  but  I  could  read 
and  write  a  little.  I  trust  that  I  will  never  forget 
your  kindness  in  time  nor  in  eternity. 
"  Yours  truly, 

"  HARVEY  MORRIS." 

From  an  applicant  living  in  a  distant  State,  for 
admission  to  Richmond  Theological  Seminary: 


110 


HISTORY  OF  THE 


"  I  am  engaged  here  in  what  I  regard  as  mission- 
ary work.  I  am  trying  to  make  arrangements  to 
enter  school  next  session.  I  want  to  be  thoroughly 
prepared  for  service  among  my  people.  But  I  have 
no  means.  I  am  out  of  money,  out  of  clothes,  out 
of  doors.  I  am  willing  to  do  anything  to  help  my- 
self. If  you  can  do  nothing  else  for  me,  give  me 
some  advice." 


FS* 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          Ill 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Need  of  Enlightened  Leaders — Extracts  from  Letters — 
Difficulties — Early  Encouragements — Drs.  Dickinson 
and  Jeter — Other  early  Friends — An  Amusing  Inci- 
dent—  The  Capitol  Disaster. 

the  importance  of  the  work  of  educating  the 
colored  ministry,  there  can  be  but  one  opinion. 
I  add  here  the  expressions  of  distinguished  men  on 
this  point. 

The  following  eloquent  passage  is  from  the  ser- 
mon of  Rev.  E.  T.  Winkler,  D.  D.,  an  eminent 
Southern  Baptist,  of  Charleston,  S.  C.  It  was  de- 
livered before  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission 
Society,  at  Chicago,  in  May,  1871.  His  theme  was: 
"  THE  EDUCATION  OF  COLORED  PREACHERS."  In 
closing  his  discourse,  which  gave  great  satisfaction, 
both  to  the  men  of  the  North  and  of  the  South,  he 
said : 

"And  then  Africa — Africa,  of  whom  the  millions 
of  colored  people  in  America  are  only  the  repre- 
sentatives ;  Africa,  that  land  that  holds  the  sorrows 
of  vanished  ages  in  its  shadowy  deeps;  Africa, 
that  mysterious  unrecorded  history  of  pestilences 
and  famines  and  massacres,  of  degrading  idolatries 
and  sanguinary  despotisms;  Africa,  that  deadly 


112  HISTORY  OF  THE 

region  of  fiery  suns  and  oozj7  rivers  that  drive  back 
the  white  man  from  its  coasts  of  gold  and  pearl ; 
Africa,  that  grave  of  missionaries  lying  yonder  in 
ghastly  despair  beneath  the  pomp  and  glory  of  the 
tropics;  Africa,  that  peopled  world  on  which  the 
light  of  prophecy  falls  and  to  which  the  grace  of 
Christ  extends ;  has  she  not  loaned  us  her  children 
for  a  little  season  that  we  may  send  them  back  to 
her,  redeemed  and  regenerate,  and  that  thus,  through 
their  means  and  ours,  Ethiopia  may  stretch  forth 
her  dusky  hands  to  God  ? 

"Africa  needs  her  children.  She  calls  them  back 
to  her  palmy  coasts.  As  Rachel  wept  for  Joseph, 
so  she  yearns  for  her  exiled  ones.  As  the  man  of 
Macedonia  cried  to  Paul,  she  summons  her  apostles 
across  the  misty  sea. 

"  Thus  the  education  of  a  colored  ministry  in- 
augurates a  vast  missionary  movement.  With  their 
advance  in  saving  knowledge  a  countless  host  ad- 
vances. 

"  The  seminaries  in  which  they  are  trained  will 
nurse  the  churches  of  a  continent;  and  their  em- 
ployment in  the  sphere  to  which  they  are  called  by 
the  providence  and  the  grace  of  Almighty  God  will 
tell  upon  the  salvation  of  the  world." 

Dr.  J.  "W.  Parker,  speaking  in  Tremont  Temple, 
Boston,  of  the  opportunity  of  usefulness,  at  the 
South,  plead  for  the  support,  of  schools  for  ministers, 
and  exclaimed  with  thrilling  emphasis,  "/  know,  I 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         113 

KNOW  there  never  was,  since  Christ  hung  on  the  cross  of 
Calvary,  such  an  opportunity.  THERE  HAS  BEEN  NO 
SUCH  DAY." 

Rev.  P.  P.  Bishop  says :  "  The  education  of 
colored  preachers  is  the  one  great  and  crying  need  of 
the  Freedmen  !  Their  preachers  have  unbounded 
influence  over  them." 

Edward  Lathrop,  D.  D.,  upon  returning  from  a 
Southern  tour,  writes  :  "  I  would  say  emphatically, 
throw  all  you  strength  into  schools  for  the  educa- 
tion of  a  competent  ministry.  On  this  point  I 
am  afraid  our  churches  are  not  half  aroused.  It  is 
my  deliberate  and  firm  conviction  that,  if  we  fail  in 
this,  our  work  at  the  South,  among  the  colored 
population,  will  come  to  a  disastrous  end.  This,  in 
so  far  as  the  freedmen  are  concerned,  is  THE  GREAT 
WORK  of  the  Home  Mission  Society.  "We  must 
educate  a  ministry  for  this  people,  or  abandon  the 
field !  " 

J.  M.  Cramp,  D.  D.,  for  many  years  the  distin- 
guished President  of  Acadia  College,  Nova  Scotia, 
thus  expresses  his  opinion  as  to  the  work  in  which 
his  former  pupil  was  engaged  : 

"  ACADIA  COLLEGE,  WOLVILLE,  N.  S., 

"  January  23d,  1869. 

"  You  are  engaged  in  a  good  and  very  useful 
and  important  work,  requiring  great  energy  and 
much  prudence — -just  such  wisdom  as  the  Lord  has 


114  HISTORY  OF  THE 

promised  to  give  them  that  ask  him.     Past  success 
encourages   you.      May   the   future    be    yet   more 

blessed. 

UJ.  M.  CRAMP." 

The  following  letter  is  from  Rev.  T.  Willard 
Lewis,  a  noble  brother,  who  years  ago  entered  into 
his  rest,  while  engaged  in  missionary  labor  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  : 

"  CHARLESTON,  S.  C.,  February  llth,  1871. 

"  I  am  glad  to  know  that  you  have  made  such  a 
success  of  Colver  Institute,  for  the  training  of 
teachers  and  preachers.  I  believe  you  are  doing 
ten  times  as  much  for  Christ  and  His  cause  as  you 
could  possibly  do  as  a  pastor  of  a  single  church, 
and  since  we  have  but  one  short  life  to  live,  how 
grateful  we  should  be  in  that  God  has  opened  this 
good  and  effectual  door  to  us  in  this  Southern  field, 
though  our  labors  and  sacrifices  are  unappreciated, 
and  sometimes  received  with  ingratitude  on  the 
part  of  those  for  whom  we  toil  and  suffer  reproach. 

"T.  W.  LEWIS." 

Dr.  S.  F.  Smith,  the  author  of  our  "  National 
Hymn,"  who,  with  his  wife,  spent  two  weeks  at  the 
Institution,  writes: 

"  NEWTON  CENTRE,  MASS., 
"November  25th,  1877. 

"And  among  the  most  cherished  remembrances 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         115 

of  our  month  of  travel,  will  ever  be  the  enjoyment 
we  experienced  in  being  with  you,  in  sympathizing 
in  your  difficulties  and  in  rejoicing  with  you  in 
your  work.  I  had  not  gained  by  any  written 
accounts  so  perfect  an  idea  of  what  you  were  doing; 
and  I  assure  you  I  am  full  of  confidence  that  in  this 
great  work  the  Lord  is  your  director.  I  find  it  a 
pleasure,  whenever  I  find  an  opportunity,  to  speak 
in  highest  terms  of  the  Richmond  Institute  and  its 
most  competent  heads. 

"S.  F.  SMITH." 

The  writer  of  the  following  letter,  Rev.  C.  W. 
Waterhouse,  for  many  years  supported  a  pupil  in 
the  Richmond  Institute,  and  in  his  will  made  pro- 
vision by  which  a  student  would  be  supported  in 
this  School  for  all  time  : 

"LAKEWOOD,  OCEAN  COUNTY,  N.  J., 

"  December  5th,  1881. 

"  For  ten  years,  while  Mrs.  Waterhouse  was 
living,  we  supported  a  student,  in  Richmond  Insti- 
tute, and  I  have  continued  it  for  two  years  since  her 
death  in  August,  1879.  Our  first  beneficiary  named 
to  us  was  Isaac  P.  Brockenton,  now  of  Darlington 
County,  South  Carolina.  (See  page  79.)  Of  his 
labors  and  successes  we  have  had  very  gratifying 
accounts  in  the  Home  Mission  Monthly.  *  *  * 
I  have  now  passed  my  three  score  and  ten,  and  I  am 
no  longer  able  to  earn  my  living  by  labor ;  so  that 
I  shall  probably  need  the  interest  money  to  use 


116  HISTORY  OF  THE 

while  I  live.  I  cannot,  therefore,  now  promise  our 
usual  yearly  aid  to  a  student  at  the  Richmond  Insti- 
tute, however  much  I  would  delight  in  being  able 
to  do  it  uninterruptedly.  But  I  rejoice  in  what  has 
been  accomplished,  and  I  trust  the  good  work  will 
be  continued  uninterruptedly  and  faithfully  by 
younger  and  stronger  hands,  both  this  and  the  fol- 
lowing years,  and  after  my  decease. 

"C.  W.  WATERHOUSE." 

Dr.  S.  W.  Field,  who  was  a  chaplain  in  the  army 
and  also  a  prominent  pastor  in  New  England,  was 
always  deeply  interested  in  our  work.  In  sending 
us  a  valuable  collection  of  books  from  his  library, 
he  thus  writes  of  his  own  struggles  in  securing  his 
education,  and  refers  to  some  of  his  experiences  in 
the  terrible  days  of  the  late  war : 

"  PROVIDENCE,  R.  I.,  January  25th,  1884. 

"  I  left  home  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  against 
my  father's  will,  for  Waterville  College,  then  sixty 
miles  from  rny  native  place,  with  six  dollars  in  my 
pocket,  not  knowing  where  the  next  cent  was  com- 
ing from.  By  teaching  winters  and  vacations,  and 
practicing  the  most  rigid  economy,  and  teaching 
one  term  in  the  Academy  after  graduation,  I  en- 
tered Newton  a  term  behind  my  class,  and  came 
out,  after  the  three  years'  course,  $400  in  debt. 
And  I  would  be  willing  to  go  through  the  same 
again,  hard  as  it  was,  if  I  could  begin  life  again. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         117 

There  are  sweets  and  advantages  with  all  the  bitter- 
ness of  such,  with  love  for  Christ  and  jour  fellow- 
men  to  sustain  you.  Tell  the  men  not  to  mind  the 
hard  rules,  nor  the  practice  of  noble  self-denial. 

"A  cigar  never  defiled  my  lips,  so  firm  was  I. 
Even  in  the  army  it  was  never  a  temptation.  I  met 
smoking,  whiskey-drinking  chaplains,  and  pitied 
them.  Are  any  of  your  students  from  Fredericks- 
burg?  We  had  our  hospital  in  the  African  Church, 
and  their  communion  table  was  stained  with  our 
boys'  blood.  0,  what  a  day  that  battle  was !  My 
clothes  were  wet  with  fresh  human  blood. 

"8.  W.  FIELD." 

On  commencing  the  work  in  Richmond  we  found 
no  records  of  any  kind.  There  was  no  school 
furniture,  no  apparatus,  no  library,  no  course  of 
study,  and  there  was  no  one  to  give  advice ;  many 
could  not  write  their  names,  and  all  had  but  a  very 
limited  knowledge  of  the  meaning  of  words.  Modes 
of  thought  and  of  expression  were  entirely  different 
on  the  part  of  teacher  and  pupil,  respectively. 
Sometimes  the  teacher  found  it  extremely  difficult 
to  convey  his  ideas.  He  had  to  explain  what  he 
meant  to  one  of  the  most  intelligent  of  the  pupils, 
and  he  would  convey  the  thought  so  as  to  be  under- 
stood by  all. 

Our  relations  to  the  community  in  those  early 
days  were  pleasant,  and  they  have  so  continued 
until  the  present  day.  The  pastors  were  cordial 


118  HISTORY  OF  THE 

and  friendly.  Dr.  A.  E.  Dickinson,  then  pastor  of 
the  Leigh  Street  Baptist  Church,  invited  me  to 
his  pulpit  and  to  his  home.  He  has  been  a  gene- 
rous contributor  to  our  work,  and  has  served  from 
the  beginning  on  our  Board  of  Trustees.  The  fol- 
lowing letter,  which  is  from  the  "Life  of  J.  B. 
Jeter,  by  Dr.  Hatcher,"  explains  the  interest  Dr. 
Jeter  ever  manifested  in  our  work  : 

RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY, 

RICHMOND,  VA.,  March  20th,  1887. 
My  Dear  Dr.  Hatcher  : 

I  learn  with  sincere  pleasure  that  you  are  about  to  publish 
memorials  of  the  late  Dr.  Jeter.  I  look  forward  to  its  perusal 
with  peculiar  interest.  Dr.  Jeter  was  a  man  for  whom  I  had  a 
most  profound  regard  and  a  sincere  affection.  About  nineteen 
years  ago  I  came  to  Richmond  an  entire  stranger.  I  was  to  suc- 
ceed Rev.  Nathaniel  Colver,  D.  D.,  and  Rev.  Robert  Ryland,  D. 
D.,  in  their  work  of  training  colored  ministers.  Our  schoolroom 
was  a  small  brick  building,  which  stood  in  "  the  bottom,"  near 
Shockoe  creek,  below  Broad  Street,  and  was  a  part  of  the  es- 
tablishment known  as  Lumpkin's  Jail.  My  own  home  was 
on  the  premises,  in  the  house  occupied  by  the  former  proprietor 
of  the  place,  Mr.  Lumpkin.  Dr.  Jeter  was  among  the  first  to 
find  his  way  to  my  unpretending  home,  in  this  most  uninviting 
place,  and  to  extend  to  me  his  sympathies,  and  to  assure  me  of 
his  hearty  co-operation  in  my  work.  He  and  his  "Junior," 
Rev.  A.  E.  Dickinson,  D.  D.,  not  only  did  what  they  cauld  to 
make  me  feel  at  home,  but  tendered  to  me  the  columns  of  the 
Religious  Herald,  which  they  assured  me  would  always  be  at 
my  disposal  in  the  interests  of  my  work.  Then,  and  ever 
afterwards,  Dr.  Jeter  was  a  frequent  and  welcome  visitor  to 
our  Institution.  The  young  men  always  hailed  with  delight 
his  coming,  and  listened  to  his  words  of  instruction  and  en- 
couragement with  unfeigned  pleasure.  His  attitude  towards 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         119 

our  work,  both  in  public  and  private,  largely  contributed  to 
secure,  at  an  early  day,  the  confidence  and  co-operation  of  the 
denomination  in  Virginia.  His  words  of  kind  approval  and 
appreciation  to  me  personally  were  not  only  an  encouragement, 
but  an  inspiration,  as  I  felt  myself  honored  in  having  so  great 
and  good  a  man  for  my  personal  friend. 

So  deeply  had  Dr.  Jeter  impressed  his  personality  upon  me, 
that  whenever  I  saw  his  commanding  form,  whether  he  walked 
the  streets  or  rode  along  on  his  old  white  horse,  a  benediction 
involuntarily  escaped  my  lips.  It  was  my  privilege  to  join  the 
company  of  mourners  that  followed  him  to  his  resting-place, 
on  the  banks  of  the  James.  And  now,  among  the  beautiful 
places  where  slumber  the  great  and  good  in  that  "  city  of  the 
silent,"  there  is  no  spot  near  which  I  more  reverently  linger, 
than  that  where  rest  the  mortal  remains  of  Jeremiah  Bell 
Jeter. 

CHAS  H.  COREY. 

The  Hon.  J.  L.  M.  Curry,  ex-minister  -to  Spain, 
has  always  been  my  personal  friend,  and  also  a 
friend  and  advocate  of  our  work.  The  late  H.  K. 
Ellyson,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  Baptist  lay- 
men in  Virginia,  was  a  member  of  our  Board  of 
Trustees  from  the  time  of  our  organization  as  an 
Institution  until  his  death.  Dr.  John  William 
Jones,  now  of  the  University  of  Virginia,  has  con- 
tributed money  and  his  talents  to  help  build  up  our 
School.  So  have  others  in  this  city.  From  the 
day  I  entered  Richmond,  twenty-seven  years  ago, 
I  have  not  seen  a  line  in  any  of  our  papers  against 
our  work.  Personally,  my  relations  with  the  citi- 
zens have,  ordinarily,  been  of  the  pleasantest  kind. 
Occasionally  an  amusing  incident  occurred.  One 


120  HISTORY  or  THE 

day  in  going  down  Franklin  Street,  just  below  the 
Capitol  Square,  I  passed  by  a  bar-room,  in  front  of 
which  several  young  men  were  standing.  As  I 
passed  on  I  overheard  one  of  them  say :  "  That 
fellow  preaches  to  the  negroes."  Assuming  to  be 
offended,  I  turned,  and  with  feigned  severity,  de- 
manded of  them  what  they  meant  by  insulting  a 
gentleman  in  that  manner.  My  business  was  to  see 
Albert  Brooks,  a  colored  man  who  kept  a  livery- 
stable  near  at  hand.  I  incidentally  pointed  up  the 
street  towards  the  men  in  the  course  of  my  conver- 
sation, and  they,  suspecting  that  our  talk  was  con- 
cerning them,  the  proprietor  of  the  saloon  and  two 
or  three  more  sauntered  down  to  where  we  were. 
One  of  them,  with  an  offended  air,  asked  me  what 
I  meant  by  speaking  to  them  as  I  did.  I  replied : 
"  What  did  you  mean  by  speaking  to  me  as  you 
did  ?  "  He  replied  :  "  O,  we  had  no  reference  at  all 
to  you!"  "What!"  I  replied,  "Will  you  assure 
me,  on  your  honor  as  gentlemen,  that  you  had  no 
reference  whatever  to  me?"  They  solemnly  as- 
serted that  they  did  not  mean  me  at  all.  Then  T 
replied  :  "  If  that  be  so,  7  should  not  have  spokm 
to  you  as  I  did."  The  saloon-keeper  said:  "O. 
that's  all  right;  won't  you  come  in  and  take  a 
drink?"  I  think  that  I  would  not  have  dared  to 
assume  so  much  indignation  had  not  General  Canby 
been  in  command  of  the  city  at  that  time.  And  I 
suppose  the  saloon-keeper,  who  was  ever  after  a  ge- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          121 

nial  and  cordial  acquaintance,  had  fears  that  the 
"  preacher  to  negroes  "  might  have  sufficient  influ- 
ence to  get  the  military  authorities  to  revoke  his 
license. 

April  27th,  1870,  was  bright  and  beautiful.  Just 
before  noon  Uncle  Jeffry  came  running  to  me  where 
I  was  hearing  my  classes,  saying,  "  the  Capitol  has 
fallen  in."  I  thought  but  little  of  what  he  said, 
but  seeing  his  excited  condition,  I  hastened  to  the 
spot,  and  there  was  an  appalling  sight.  The  dead 
and  dying  were  on  the  grass  around  the  building, 
and  there  was  a  scene  of  indescribable  terror  and 
anguish.  The  Supreme  Court  of  Appeals  had  as- 
sembled to  decide  upon  the  constitutionality  of  the 
"enabling  act."  Mr.  George  Chahoon  was  Mili- 
tary Mayor,  and  Mr.  H.  K.  Ellyson  had  been  elected 
by  the  City  Council.  The  Court  was  to  decide  who 
was  entitled  to  the  Mayoralty,  Chahoon  or  Ellyson. 
An  immense  concourse  had  gathered  to  ascertain 
the  result.  Everything  was  in  readiness  for  the 
judges,  when  the  ceiling  and  girders  gave  way,  and 
"  the  mass  of  human  beings  who  were  in  attendance 
were  sent,  mingled  with  bricks,  mortar,  splinters, 
beams,  iron  bars,  desks  and  chairs,  to  the  floor  of 
the  House  of  Delegates,  and  in  a  second  more,  fifty- 
seveil  souls  were  launched  into  eternity.  The  whole 
atmosphere  was  thick  with  a  dense  cloud  of  dust 
from  the  plastering,  and  the  human  beings  sent  up 
a  groan  which  will  ring  forever  in  the  ears  upon 


122  HISTORY  OF  THE 

which  it  fell."  *    About  two  hundred  and  fifty  others 
were  severely  injured. 

The  bells  tolled,  crowds  gathered.  Wives, 
mothers  and  friends,  wringing  their  hands,  sought 
to  find  their  loved  ones.  Hacks,  ambulances,  and 
all  kinds  of  vehicles  were  there.  On  that  sunny 
April  day  scenes  were  witnessed  such  as  are  un- 
known on  battlefields,  weeping  women  and  children, 
walking  among  the  dead  and  dying. 


See  "A  Full  Account  of  (he  Great  Calamity,"  p.  13. 


'"' 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         123 


CHAPTER  X. 


The  Freedmen'a  Bureau — Act  of  Incorporation — Pur- 
chase of  a  New  Site — A  Higher  Theological  School 
Needed — The  Richmond  Theological  Seminary  In- 
corporated. 

REFERENCE  was  made  on  page  87  to  the  Freed- 
^Vs  men's  Bureau.  General  O.  O.  Howard  was 
Commissioner  of  this  department  of  the  government 
service,  which  had  been  called  into  existence  by  the 
exigencies  of  the  times. 

The  late  General  S.  C.  Armstrong,*  Principal  of 
The  Hampton  Normal  and  Agricultural  Institute,  says : 
"  General  Howard  and  the  Freedmen's  Bureau  did 
for  the  ex-slaves,  from  1865  to  1870,  a  marvellous 
work,  for  which  due  credit  has  not  been  given  ; 
among  other  things,  giving  to  their  education  an 
impulse  and  a  foundation  by  granting  three  and  a 
half  millions  of  dollars  for  schoolhouses,  salaries, 
etc.,  promoting  the  education  of  about  a  million 
colored  children.  The  principal  Negro  educational 
institutions  of  to-day,  then  starting,  were  liberally 
aided  at  a  time  of  vital  need.  Hampton  received 
over  $50,000  through  General  Howard  for  buildings 
and  improvements." 

*  See  note  C. 


124  HISTORY  OF  THE 

On  page  88  it  is  stated  that  the  Richmond  Insti- 
tute was  chartered  by  the  General  Assembly  of 
Virginia  in  1876.  The  Act  of  incorporation  is  as 
follows : 

AN  ACT 

To  Incorporate  the  Richmond  Institute  in  the  City  of 
Richmond. 

Whereas,  a  lot  of  land  with  improvements,  situate  in  the  city 
of  Richmond,  has  been  conveyed  by  deed  dated  twenty -sixth 
January,  eighteen  hundred  and  seventy,  to  A.  B.  Capwell,  James 
B.  Simmons,  Jay  S.  Backus,  E.  E.  L.  Taylor,  Albert  R.  Brooks, 
Henry  K.  Ellyson,  and  R.  M.  Manly,  trustees,  and  the  survi- 
vors of  them,  upon  the  trusts  that  the  said  trustees  should 
hold  and  apply  the  said  land  and  improvements  for  the  uses 
and  purposes  of  an  educational  institution,  and  that  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  rental  or  sale  thereof  should  be  perpetually  de- 
voted to  educational  purposes  as  specified  in  said  deed ;  and 
upon  the  further  trust  that  the  trustees  or  the  survivors  of 
them  should  apply  to  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  for  an 
act  of  incorporation,  and  when  and  as  soon  as  a  charter  of  in- 
corporation is  obtained  creating  and  incorporating  a  literary 
institution  or  college,  to  be  called  the  Richmond  Institute,  the 
trustees  or  their  survivors  should  convey  the  property  con- 
veyed by  said  deed  to  the  said  corporation  upon  the  trusts  and 
conditions  contained  in  the  said  deed ;  and  whereas  one  of  the 
said  trustees,  E.  E.  L.  Taylor,  has  departed  this  life,  and  the 
other  trustees  above  named  have  applied  for  a  charter  of  incor- 
poration, incorporating  the  following  persons  and  their  suc- 
cessors as  such  corporation,  to  whom  said  property  is  to  be 
conveyed  upon  the  trusts  aforesaid :  therefore, 

l.Beit  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly,  That  Nathan  Bishop, 
Albert  B.  Capwell,  Joseph  B.  Hoyt,  William  A.  Cauldwell, 
Henry  K.  Ellyson,  James  H.  Holmes,  Richard  Wells,  Alfred  E. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         125 

Dickinson,  and  Stephen  Woodman,  be  and  they  are  hereby 
constituted  a  body  politic  and  corporate,  by  the  name  and 
style  of  The  Richmond  Institute,  and  by  that  name  shall  have 
perpetual  succession  and  a  common  seal,  may  sue  and  be  sued, 
plead  and  be  impleaded,  with  power  to  purchase,  receive  and 
hold  to  them  and  their  successors  forever  any  lands,  tenements, 
rents,  goods  and  chattels,  of  what  kind  soever,  which  may  be 
purchased  by  or  be  devised  or  given  to  them  for  the  use  of  said 
literary  institution  or  seminary  of  learning ;  and  to  lease,  rent, 
sell,  or  ortherwise  dispose  of  the  same,  in  such  manner  as  may 
seem  most  conducive  to  its  interests ;  provided,  that  the  lands, 
goods  and  chattels  so  authorized  to  be  held  shall  not  exceed  in 
amount  or  value  five  hundred  thousand  dollars ;  and  provided 
also,  that  not  less  than  a  majority  of  said  trustees  for  the  time 
being  shall  be  sufficient  to  authorize  the  sale  of  any  real  estate 
belonging  to  said  seminary  of  learning. 

2.  The  said  trustees  and  their  successors  shall  have  power 
to  appoint  a  president,  treasurer,  librarian,  professors  and  such 
other  officers  as  they  may  deem  proper ;  and  to  make  and  es- 
tablish, from  time  to  time,  such  bj'-laws,  rules  and  regulations, 
not  contrary  to  the  laws  of  the  state  or  of  the  United  States, 
as  they  may  judge  proper  for  the  good  government  of  said 
seminary  of  learning.  A  majority  of  the  trustees  shall  consti- 
tute a  board  for  the  transaction  of  business  ;  and  any  vacancy 
or  vacancies  among  the  trustees,  occasioned  by  death,  resigna- 
tion, or  legal  disability,  shall  be  supplied  by  appointment  of 
the  board.  The  said  trustees  or  their  successors  shall  have 
power  to  increase  their  number  to  eleven  if  they  desire  to  do 
so ;  and  in  that  event  they  shall  elect  by  vote  of  the  board  the 
persons  necessary  to  make  such  eleven  trustees.  The  said 
board  of  trustees  shall  have  power  to  create  an  executive 
board,  consisting  of  five  of  their  number,  which  executive 
board  (any  three  of  them  being  present)  shall  have  authority 
to  transact  all  the  ordinary  business  of  the  corporation,  except 
the  purchase  or  conveyance  of  real  estate ;  the  investment  of 
funds;  the  appointment  or  removal  of  officers  and  teachers, 
and  fixing  their  salaries ;  but  the  said  board  of  trustees  are 


126  HISTORY  OF  THE 

not  required  to  create  or  appoint  such  executive  board,  unless 
they  see  fit  to  do  so  in  their  sound  discretion. 

3.  The  said  seminary  of  learning  is  to  be  an  educational  in- 
stitution, and  the  property  owned  by  it,  so  long  as  the  sail  I 
corporation  shall  exist,  is  to  be  devoted  to  educational  purposes 
as  aforesaid. 

4.  The  treasurer  shall  receive  all  moneys  accruing  to  the  sai<l 
seminary  of  learning  and  property  delivered  to  his  care,  ami 
shall  pay  or  deliver  the  same  to  the  order  of  the  board.    Before 
he  enters  upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  he  shall  give  bond 
with  such  security  and  in  such  penalty  as  the  board  may  din-el. 
made  payable  to  the  trustees  for  the  time  being  and  their  suc- 
eeoeors,  and  conditioned  for  the  faithful  performance  of  his 
duty,  under  such  rules  and  regulations  as  may  be  adopted  by 
the  board.    And  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the  said  trustees,  or  for 
the  Richmond  Institute,  suing  in  the  name  of  such  trustees  or 
their  successors,  to  obtain  a  judgment  on  such  bond,  or  for  any 
special  delinquency  incurred  by  said  treasurer,  on  motion  in 
any  court  of  record  in  this  commonwealth  against  said  treasurer 
and  his  surety  or  sureties,  his  or  their  executors  or  administra- 
tors, upon  giving  ten  days'  notice  of  such  motion. 

5.  The  right  is  hereby  reserved  to  the  general  assembly  to 
modify  or  repeal  this  act  at  pleasure. 

6.  This  act  shall  be  in  force  from  its  passage. 

RICHMOND  INSTITUTE  BECOMES  A  HIGHER 
THEOLOGICAL  SCHOOL. 

In  consequence  of  the  increase  of  manufacturing 
establishments,  and  in  view  of  other  undesirable 
surroundings,  it  seemed  advisable  to  secure  a  better 
location.  After  careful  examination,  on  the  28th  of 
June,  1880,  the  Trustees  purchased  of  U.  G.  Hoyt, 
of  Rochester,  New  York,  for  $5,000,  nearly  two 
and  one-half  acres  of  land  on  Reservoir  and  Bev- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          127 

erly  Streets,  as  a  site  for  a  new  building.  Reference 
to  this  transaction  is  made  on  page  103,  in  a  letter 
written  by  Secretary  Morehouse. 

It  soon  became  evident  that  the  rapid  increase  of 
the  colored  population,  and  the  phenomenal  growth 
in  the  membership  of  the  Baptist  Churches  created 
a  necessity  for  a  Theological  iSchool  of  a  higher 
order  somewhere  in  the  South.  The  most  thought- 
ful and  judicious  among  both  races  saw  that,  for 
many  reasons,  it  was  desirable  that  the  young  min- 
isters of  the  South  should  not  incur  the  expenses  of 
long  journeys  to  Northern  Seminaries,  and  that  it 
would  be  better  for  them  to  be  educated  at  home 
among  their  own  people. 

There  was  no  distinctive  Baptist  school  of  the 
same  aim  and  scope  in  the  country  nor  in  the 
world.  The  unprecedented  openings  for  mission- 
aries to  Africa  (which,  for  coming  years,  is  to  be  the 
greatest  mission  field  of  the  world)  demanded  such 
a  sehool  as  this. 

It  was  thought  that  Richmond,  Virginia,  was  the 
place  best  suited  for  such  an  institution,  as  it  is  a 
great  railroad  center,  and  also  an  educational  cen- 
ter, and  the  headquarters  of  the  foreign  mission 
organizations  of  the  South. 

A  conference  of  nearly  all  the  Presidents  of  the 
Schools  of  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission 
Society  was  held  at  the  Home  Mission  Rooms  in 
New  York,  June  22d-24th,  1882.  At  this  confer- 
ence, after  careful  consideration,  it  was  "  Voted, 


128  HISTORY  OF  THE 

That,  in  their  opinion,  a  higher  Theological  School 
ought  to  be  developed  at  Richmond."  Plans  were 
subsequently  laid  and  put  into  execution. 

The  following  account  of  the  action  of  the  Trus- 
tees of  Richmond  Institute,  and  also  of  the  Board 
of  the  Home  Mission  Society  is  taken  from  the 
January  number  of  1884  of  the  Home  Mission 
Monthly  : 

"  The  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  Richmond  Institute  was  held  at  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia, November  21st,  1883.  There  were  present 
A.  E.  Dickinson,  D.  I).,  Rev.  R.  Wells,  Rev.  J.  H. 
Holmes,  and  H.  K.  Ellyson,  Esquire,  of  Richmond, 
and  the  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Home  Mis- 
sion Society.  The  meeting  lasted  about  three 
hours,  and  was  of  a  most  harmonious  and  hopeful 
character.  The  most  important  action,  which  was 
taken  after  full  discussion,  is  indicated  by  the  fol- 
lowing resolution,  which  was  heartily  and  unani- 
mously adopted : 

Resolved,  That,  in  the  judgment  of  this  Board,  the  time  has 
arrived  for  the  establishment  of  a  distinctively  Theological 
Institution  of  a  higher  order  for  the  education  of  colored  stu- 
dents for  the  ministry,  and  that  Richmond  is  a  suitable  location 
for  such  an  institution,  and  that  we  commend  this  subject  to 
the  renewed  attention  of  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission 
Society. 

"  At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  the  Home  Mis- 
sion Society,  in  December,  1883,  renewed  attention 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          129 

•was  given  to  this  subject,  and  the  following  resolu- 
tions were  adopted  : 

Resolved,  That  this  Board  hereby  reaffirm  their  belief  that 
the  increasing  intelligence  of  the  colored  people  in  America, 
and  the  need  of  well-qualified  missionaries  for  Africa,  impera- 
-  tively  demand  that  immediate  measures  be  taken  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  distinctively  Theological  Institution  at  Richmond, 
Virginia,  and  that  the  Education  Committee  be,  and  are  here- 
by authorized  to  make  the  necssary  arrangements  for  the  open- 
ing of  the  institution  on  this  basis  in  the  fall  of  1884. 

Resolved,  That,  inasmuch  as  this  will  require  an  increase  in 
the  number  of  instructors,  and  as  this  plan  contemplates  the 
permanent  establishment  of  a  theological  institution  that  shall 
be  for  the  colored  Baptists  what  theological  institutions  in 
other  sections  are  for  their  white  brethren  ;  and,  inasmuch  as 
the  Society  cannot  well  assume  and  continually  bear  the  addi- 
tional financial  burden  necessary  to  the  execution  of  this 
design,  the  Board  do,  therefore,  earnestly  appeal  to  men  of  ivealth, 
who  have  at  heart  the  welfare  of  the  colored  people  here,  and  the  evan- 
gelization of  Africa,  to  do  for  this  institution  ivhat  has  been  done  for 
others — namely,  to  endow  two  or  more  professorships  in  the  sum  of 
not  less  than  twenty  thousand  dollars  each. 

"  It  will  be  seen  by  the  foregoing  that  a  first-class 
theological  seminary  is  to  be  established  in  Rich- 
mond in  1884.  In  the  other  institutions  theological 
instruction  will  continue  to  be  given  for  those  who 
are  unprepared,  or  for  any  other  reason  are  unable 
to  pursue  a  thorough  course  of  study  in  the  Semi- 
nary at  Richmond.  It  is  expected  that  the  most 
advanced  students  from  several  institutions  in  the 
eastern  Southern  States  will  complete  their  theologi- 
cal course  at  Richmond. 


130  HISTORY  OF  THE 

"  In  addition  to  the  regular  course,  a  partial 
course  will  be  provided,  somewhat  like  that  which 
is  furnished  in  other  similar  institutions.  We  are 
sure  that  the  means  for  this  enterprise  will  not  be 
lacking  when  the  important  bearings  of  it  are  clearly 
understood." 

In  carrjnng  out  the  resolutions  referred  to  above, 
application  was  made  to  the  General  Assembly  of 
Virginia  to  change  the  name  of  the  Institution. 
By  acts  approved  February  5th  and  March  1st, 
1886,  the  Richmond  Institute  became  the  RICHMOND 
THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 

Through  some  oversight  on  the  part  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  the  House  of  Delegates,  who  had  charge 
of  the  bill,  a  mistake  was  made  in  the  title,  and  it 
became  necessary  to  pass  another  act  to  correct  the 
error  that  had  been  made. 

AN  ACT 

To  amend  an  act  entitled  an  act  to  incorporate  the  Rich- 
mond Theological  Seminary,  in  the  city  of  Richmond. 


Approved  February  5,  1886. 


1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  general  assembly  of  Virginia,  That 
sections  one,  two,  and  four  of  an  act  entitled  an  act,  to  incor- 
porate the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary,  in  the  city  of 
Richmond,  approved  February  tenth,  eighteen  hundred  and 
seventy-six,  be  amended  and  re-enacted  so  as  to  read  as  fol- 
lows : 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         131 

SEC.  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  general  assembly  of  Virginia, 
That  H.  L.  Morehouse,  Gardner  R.  Colby,  Joseph  B.  Hoyt, 
William  A.  Cauldwell,  Henry  K.  Ellyson,  James  H.  Holmes, 
Richard  Wells,  and  A.  E.  Dickinson  (trustees),  the  successors 
of  Nathan  Bishop,  Albert  B.  Capwell,  Joseph  B.  Hoyt,  William 
A.  Cauldwell,  Henry  K.  Ellyson,  James  H.  Holmes,  Richard 
Wells,  Alfred  E.  Dickinson,  and  Stephen  Woodman,  which 
nine  last  persons  were  incorporated  into  a  body  politic  and  cor- 
porate by  the  act  to  which  this  is  an  amendment,  by  the  name 
and  style  of  the  Richmond  Institute,  shall,  as  such  successors, 
continue  and  be  a  body  politic  and  corporate,  and  they  and 
their  successors,  as  such  body  politic  and  corporate,  shall  here- 
after be  known  as  the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary,  and 
by  that  name  shall  have  perpetual  succession  and  a  common 
seal,  may  sue  and  be  sued,  plead  and  be  impleaded,  with  power 
to  purchase,  receive  and  hold  to  them  and  their  successors  for- 
ever, any  lands,  tenements,  rents,  moneys,  trust  or  endowment 
funds,  goods  and  chattels  of  what  kind  soever,  which  may 
have  been  purchased  by,  or  may  have  been  or  which  shall  be 
devised,  bequeathed,  or  given  to  the  said  The  Richmond  Insti- 
tute, or  which  may  hereafter  be  purchased  by,  or  be  devised, 
bequeathed,  or  given  to  them,  under  the  name  of  The  Rich- 
mond Theological  Seminary,  for  the  .use  of  the  said  literary 
institution  or  seminary  of  learning,  and  to  lease  or  rent  the 
same  whenever  most  conducive  to  the  interests  of  said  institu- 
tion, and  to  sell  the  same,  whenever  a  majority  of  the  corpora- 
tors, who  are  hereby  designated  as  trustees  for  the  time  being, 
shall  authorize  the  sale  ;  such  authorization  of  sale  to  be  made 
by  a  resolution  in  writing,  after  notice  to  each  of  the  trustees 
then  living  that  a  meeting  of  them  will  be  convened  for  the 
purpose  of  deciding  whether  such  sale  shall  be  made  or  not. 
The  lands,  goods,  and  chattels  so  authorized  to  be  held  shall 
not  exceed  in  amount  or  value,  at  any  one  time,  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  The  said  corporators  or  trustees  shall  have 
no  power  to  encumber  by  mortgage  or  trust  deed  the  said 
property  for  any  purpose  whatever,  and  they  are  forbidden  by 
this  charter  to  use  the  principal  of  any  endowment  funds  of 


132  HISTORY  OF  THE 

the  institution  for  its  current  expenses.  The  said  corporators 
or  trustees  may  vote  by  proxy  or  in  person,  as  may  be  deter- 
mined by  them  by  a  by-law  to  be  spread  upon  the  record  of 
their  proceedings,  such  by-law,  when  once  adopted,  not  to  be 
changed  unless  at  least  two-thirds  of  the  then  living  trustees 
or  corporators  shall  vote  to  change  it. 

SEC.  2.  The  said  trustees  or  corporators,  and  their  successors, 
shall  have  power  to  appoint  a  president,  treasurer,  librarian, 
professors,  and  such  other  officers  as  they  may  deem  proper ; 
to  fix  the  term  of  office  of  all  trustees,  and  provide  for  the 
election  of  their  successors ;  and  to  make  and  establish,  from 
tinip  to  time,  such  by-laws,  rules  and  regulations,  not  contrary 
to  the  laws  of  Virginia,  or  of  the  United  States,  as  they  may 
deem  proper  for  the  good  government  of  said  seminary  of 
learning.  A  majority  of  the  trustees  or  corporators  shall  con- 
stitute a  legal  quorum  or  board  for  the  transaction  of  business  ; 
and  any  vacancy  or  vacancies  among  the  trustees  or  corpora- 
tors, occasioned  by  death,  resignation  or  legal  disability,  shall 
be  supplied  by  appointment  of  the  board.  The  said  trustees 
or  corporators,  or  their  successors,  shall  have  power  to  increase 
their  number  to  eleven,  if  they  desire  to  do  so ;  and,  in  that 
event,  they  shall  elect  by  vote  of  the  board  the  persons  neces- 
sary to  make  such  eleven  trustees  or  corporators.  No  person 
shall  be  eligible,  as  trustee  or  corporator,  either  to  make  such 
increase  or  to  fill  any  vacancy  in  the  trustees,  occasioned  by 
death  or  otherwise,  unless  he  be  a  member  in  good  standing  of 
a  regular  Baptist  church.  The  said  trustees  or  corporators,  or 
their  successors,  shall  have  power,  if  they  see  fit  to  do  so,  to 
create  an  executive  board,  consisting  of  five  of  their  number, 
which  executive  board  (any  three  of  them  being  present)  shall 
have  authority  to  transact  all  the  ordinary  business  of  the  cor- 
poration, except  the  purchase  or  conveyance  of  real  estate,  the 
investment  of  funds,  the  appointment  of  and  removal  of  offi. 
cers  and  teachers,  or  fixing  the  amount  of  their  salaries.  The 
trustees  or  corporators,  or  their  successors,  with  the  concurrence 
of  the  faculty  of  said  seminary,  shall  have  power  to  confer  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Divinity  upon  full  course  graduates  of 


REV.  JAMES  H.  HOLMES, 
Vice-President  Board  of  Trustees  of  Richmond  Theological  Seminary. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         133 

the  institution ;  and  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity 
upon  any  person  of  suitable  attainments,  the  concurrence  of 
the  faculty,  in  either  case,  to  be  spread  upon  the  record  of  their 
proceedings. 

SEC.  4.  The  treasurer  shall  receive  all  moneys  accruing  to  the 
said  seminary  of  learning  and  property  delivered  to  his  care, 
and  shall  pay  or  deliver  the  same  to  the  order  of  the  board. 
The  treasurer,  before  entering  upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties 
as  treasurer  of  the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary,  shall  give 
bond,  with  such  security  and  in  such  penalty  as  the  board  may 
direct,  to  be  made  payable  to  the  trustees  or  corporators  for 
the  time  being,  and  their  successors,  and  conditioned  for  the 
faithful  performance  of  his  duty,  under  such  rules  and  regula- 
tions as  may  be  adopted  by  the  board.  And  the  said  trustees 
or  corporators,  or  their  successors,  or  the  Richmond  Theological 
Seminary,  suing  in  the  name  of  such  trustees  or  corporators, 
or  their  successors,  may  obtain  judgment  on  such  bond,  or  for 
any  special  delinquency  of  any  treasury  of  the  Richmond 
Theological  Seminary,  or  on  any  bond  heretofore  given  by  any 
treasurer  of  the  Richmond  Institute,  on  motion  in  any  court  of 
record  of  the  city  of  Richmond,  against  such  treasurer  and  his 
surety  or  sureties,  his  or  their  executors  or  administrators, 
upon  giving  ten  days'  notice  of  such  motion. 

2.  This  act  shall  be  in  force  from  its  passage. 

J.  BELL  BIGGER, 
C.  H.  D.  and  K.  of  R.  of  Va.    . 


134  HISTORY  OF  THE 


AN  ACT 

To  am.end  an  act  approved  February  5,  1886,  entitled 
an  act  to  amend  an  act  to  incorporate  the  Richmond 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  city  of  Richmond,  and 
to  amend  the  title  thereof. 


Approved  March  1st,  1886. 


1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  That 
the  title  of  the  act  approved  February  fifth,  eighteen  hundred 
and  eighty-six,  entitled  "  an  act  to  amend  an  act  entitled  an 
act  to  incorporate  the  Kichmond  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
city  of  Richmond,"  be  so  changed  as  to  read  "  an  act  to  amend 
an  act  entitled  an  act  to  incorporate  the  Richmond  Institute  in 
the  city  of  Richmond." 

2.  That  the  words  embodied  in  the  first  section  of  said  act, 
approved  February  fifth,  eighteen  hundred  and  eighty-six,  viz : 
"  That  sections  one,  two  and  four  of  an  act  entitled  an  act  to 
incorporate  the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary,  in  the  city  of 
Richmond,"  be  so  changed  as  to  read  thus :  "  That  sections 
one,  two  and  four  of  an  act  entitled  an  act  to  incorporate  the 
Richmond  Institute,  in  the  city  of  Richmond." 

3.  This  act  shall  be  in  force  from  its  passage. 

.].  BELL  BIGGER, 
C.  //.  D.  and  K.  of  R.  of  Va. 
March  2,  1886. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.    135 


CHAPTKR  XI. 


Our  Students — Results  of  Their  Labor — Letters  from 
Students. 

JHHE  pupils  of  our  School  in  its  earlier  history 
*  were  not  all  ministers.  Some  were  trained 
for  teachers.  For  a  short  time  young  women  were 
admitted  to  Richmond  Institute  (see  pages  102, 
103).  From  1880,  up  to  the  time  of  the  opening  of 
the  Hartshorn  Memorial  College  in  1883,  about 
thirty  in  all  had  been  in  attendance. 

Many  of  our  graduates  became  teachers,  and 
others  engaged  in  business.  As  financiers  and  ac- 
countants, some  have  no  peers  among  their  race. 
Ten  of  our  former  students  have  become  physicians, 
and  in  their  chosen  profession  some  have  already 
won  distinction.  Six  have  become  foreign  mission- 
aries. Several  are  practicing  law  successfully,  and 
others  are  editors  of  papers.  Some  of  the  gradu- 
ates are  in  charge  of  institutions  of  learning,  others 
are  professors  in  such  institutions.  They  may  be 
found  from  Canada  on  the  North,  to  British  Hon- 
duras on  the  South ;  and  from  the  great  Northwest 
to  the  Atlantic. 

It  is  quite  impossible  to  estimate  the  vast  amount 
of  good  that  has  been  done  by  the  students  of  this 
School,  known  successively  as  Colver  Institute,  the 


136  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Eichmond  Institute  and  the  Richmond  Theological 
Seminary. 

But  of  the  work  done  since  the  Institution  has 
been  under  the  care  of  the  President,  from  1868 
until  the  close  of  the  school-year,  1894,  the  follow- 
statements  may  be  made  : 

In  regular  attendance  from  1868-1894,  766 

Attending  Special  Institute,  1868,   -  81 

Attending  Night  Class  of  1869,    -  68 

Special  Classes — Women,  100 


Total,     -  -      1,015 

Total  preparing  for  the  Christian  Ministry,     -     530 
Total  Graduates  with  Diplomas  from   Rich- 
mond Institute,     -  73 
Total  Graduates  with  Degree  of  B.  D.  from  R. 

T.  S.,  25 

Fifty  students  who  answered  letters  addressed  to 
them  report — 

Churches  organized,    -  170 

Sunday-Schools  established,    -  270 

Persons  Baptized,  -   43,543 

It  is  a  conservative  estimate  to  say  that  fully 
100,000  persons  have  been  baptized  into  the  fellow- 
ship of  Christian  Churches  by  the  530  Ministerial 
Students  who  have  attended  the  Institution. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         137 

LETTERS  FROM  STUDENTS. 

Among  our  earliest  and  most  successful  students 
was  Sterling  Gardner.  After  leaving  the  Colver 
Institute,  he  took  the  full  course  at  Madison  (now 
Colgate)  University.  While  in  the  University  he 
took  several  prizes,  and  was  graduated  with  high 
honors.  He  was  associate  teacher  in  Colver  Insti- 
tute from  1872  to  1873,  and  from  1875  to  1876. 
At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  Dr.  Robert,  of  the 
Augusta  Institute,  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  he  was 
transferred  from  Richmond  to  that  place,  where  he 
died  December  8th,  1877.  Dr.  Robert  expressed 
his  profound  grief  at  the  loss  his  School  had  sus- 
tained, and  writes,  December  27th,  1877  :  "  He  was 
a  most  excellent  Christian  and  a  scholar  of  great 
promise."  Miss  Robert,  describing  the  funeral, 
says  :  "  Judge  Gibson,  his  former  owner,  was  there, 
and  seemed  much  affected.  He  was  so  highly  es- 
teemed and  loved  in  the  Institute  that  he  is  greatly 
missed  and  regretted  by  father  and  all  the  students." 

Rev.  Henry  E.  Duers,  of  Sing  Sing,  New  York, 
has  organized  four  churches,  planted  four  new 
Sunday-schools  and  baptized  twenty-five  converts. 

Rev.  M.  S.  G.  Abbott,  M.  D.,  Pensacola,  Florida, 
who  was  graduated  from  Richmond  Institute  in 
1878,  has  organized  five  churches,  ten  Sunday- 
schools,  and  has  baptized  230.  Dr.  Abbott,  who 
graduated  in  medicine  at  Leonard  Medical  College, 


138  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  has  held  important  posi- 
tions in  Tennessee,  West  Virginia,  and  in  Florida, 
in  which  places  his  ministerial  life  has  been  spent. 

Rev.  Richard  Spiller,  who  left  school  in  1874,  is 
pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Hampton,  Va., 
and  Principal  of  the  Spiller  Academy.  He  has 
founded  several  churches  and  baptized  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  seventeen  persons.  He  has 
raised  about  ten  thousand  dollars  for  the  building 
in  which  his  congregation  now  worships.  Elder 
Spiller  holds  important  positions  of  trust  and  in- 
fluence in  the  denomination,  and  is  now  President 
of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the  Richmond  Theo- 
logical Seminary.  He  is  founder  of  the  Spiller 
Academy,  an  efficient  and  growing  institution.  He 
writes,  June  23d,  1894 : 

"  I  attribute  my  success  largely  to  the  training  I 
received  at  the  Richmond  Institute,  combined  with 
the  early  training  of  my  parents.  The  training  I 
received  in  school  has  guided  me  all  through  my 
ministerial  life,  and  it  has  a  tendency  to  draw  me 
nearer  to  the  people,  and  has  taught  me  how  to 
become  all  things  to  all  men  that  I  might  save  some. 
God  bless  the  School  and  its  Faculty." 

Rev.  James  H.  Holmes  has  been  pastor  of  the  First 
African  Baptist  Church  for  about  twenty-eight  years. 
His  church  at  one  time  contained  the  largest  mem- 
bership of  any  church  in  the  world.  He  served  the 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         139 

church  and  attended  school  at  the  same  time.  He 
left  the  Institution  in  1874.  He  says,  June  25th, 
1894: 

"  I  have  married  fourteen  hundred  couples,  at- 
tended twenty-five  hundred  funerals  and  baptized 
about  five  thousand  eight  hundred  people." 

Rev.  Charles  H.  McDaniel,  Farmville,  Virginia, 
has  organized  five  churches,  six  Sunday-schools, 
baptized  twelve  hundred  persons,  and  has  built 
three  church  edifices.  Rev.  Mr.  McDaniel  has 
done  much  in  quickening  and  building  up  the  mem- 
bers of  the  churches.  He  says  : 

"  The  Seminary  has  made  an  everlasting  impres- 
sion on  me,  spiritually.  It  has  prepared  me,  intel- 
lectually, for  the  duties  of  life,  and  has  also  enabled 
me  to  get  nearer  to  my  people.  I  have  been  called 
to  sit  in  council  to  ordain  six  ministers  and  fifty 
deacons.  I  have  taught  in  the  Public  Free  Schools 
for  nineteen  years.  I  have  preached  about  2,000 
sermons,  and  delivered  125  lectures.  I  have  trav- 
eled on  foot  24,700  miles,  or  nearly  around  the 
world." 

Rev.  Reuben  Berkeley,  Sassafras  Post-office,  Glou- 
ccester  County,  Virginia,  has  organized  one  church, 
seven  Sunday-schools,  and  has  baptized  seventy 
persons,  and  has  built  one  church  edifice.  He  has 
taught  Public  Schools  ever  since  leaving  the  Semi- 
nary. He  says : 


140  HISTORY  OF  THE 

"  The  influence  of  the  Seminary  is  constantly 
developing  my  spiritual  life;  it  gives  me  daily 
strong  command  over  self." 

Rev.  Richard  Wells,  for  twenty-four  years  pastor 
of  the  Ebenezer  Baptist  Church,  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia, has  been  one  of  our  Trustees  since  the  found- 
ing of  the  School.  For  eleven  years  he  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  Virginia  Baptist  State  Convention,  and 
has  held  other  positions  of  importance  of  like  dig- 
nity and  responsibility.  He  has  raised,,  from  time 
to  time,  $16,600  to  repair  the  beautiful  edifice  in 
which  his  people  worship.  He  has  baptized  3,801 
persons.  His  connection  with  the  Institute,  as  a 
student,  terminated  before  1875. 

Rev.  George  W.  Jackson,  Brooklyn,  Halifax 
County,  Virginia,  writes : 

"  I  have  helped  organize  five  churches,  have  estab.- 
lished  four  Sunday-schools,  and  have  baptized  124. 
I  am  now  Superintending  Missionary  Agent  of  the 
Halifax  Educational  Convention.  I  have  been 
teaching  in  the  Public  Schools  since  1875.  The 
influence  of  the  School  upon  my  spiritual  life  stim- 
ulated me  to  become  a  model  in  my  own  life  for 
those  whom  I  instruct.  It  opened  my  blind  eyes 
to  see  how  limited  my  knowledge  was,  and  created 
a  longing,  incessant  desire  for  more  knowledge." 

Rev.  J.  B.  Matthews,  of  Hixburg,  Virginia, 
writes : 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         141 

"  I  have  organized  four  churches,  and  have  paid 
the  debts  on  two.  I  have  baptized  2,500  persons. 
I  have  establishsd  four  Sunday-schools.  My  course 
in  the  Institution  has  done  much  both  for  ray  spiri- 
tual and  intellectual  life,  and  has  drawn  me  closer 
to  my  people.  I  am  very  thankful  to  God.  I  owe 
all  to  Him  and  the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary 
for  my  success  in  life.  I  will  always  feel  very  warm 
in  my  heart  towards  it." 

Rev.  Spotswood  A.  Anderson,  who  left  school 
in  its  early  history,  has  baptized  600  persons  in  the 
State  of  Mississippi,  and  sixty  in  the  State  of  Vir- 
ginia. 

Rev.  H.  W.  Dickerson,  of  Petersburg,  Virginia, 
has  organized  two  churches,  established  two  Sun- 
day-schools, built  one  church  edifice  and  baptized 
seven  hundred  persons.  He  writes  : 

"  My  student  career  has  enabled  me  to  do  my  work 
better  and  has  drawn  me  closer  to  my  people." 

Rev.  William  Cousins,  of  Martinsville,  Virginia, 
writes,  July  llth,  1893  : 

"  I  have  been  instrumental  in  organizing  six 
churches.  I  have  built  one  meeting-house  and  have 
baptized  six  hundred  and  three  persons.  I  have 
established  nine  Sunday-schools." 

Mr.  Cousins  was  Principal  of  the  Free  School  at 
Fincastle,  Virginia,  three  years,  and  he  has  taught 


142  HISTORY  OF  THE 

at  other  places  in  the  State.  He  has  been  very  use- 
ful as  a  missionary  of  the  Virginia  Baptist  State 
Convention.  He  writes : 

"  The  influence  of  the  School  has  made  me 
stronger  as  a  Christian,  and  all  that  I  am,  intellec- 
tually, I  owe  to  the  School.  My  course  of  study 
has  drawn  me  closer  to  the  people." 

Rev.  I.  P.  Brockenton,  A.  M.,  has  been  for 
twenty-eight  years  pastor  of  the  Macedonia  Baptist 
Church,  Darlington  C.  H.,  South  Carolina.  Taken 
in  infancy  from  his  parents,  at  twenty  years  of  age 
he  was  sold  to  pay  his  master's  debts.  Securing 
the  elements  of  an  education,  and  enjoying  the  con- 
fidence to  a  rare  degree  of  his  owners  under  the  old 
regime,  he  has  a  record  of  which  any  man  might 
be  proud.  He  taught  the  first  school  for  Negro 
children  in  Darlington  county.  He  has  enjoyed  the 
confidence  of  the  community,  and  has  held  impor- 
tant positions  in  church  and  State.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  has  been  President  of  the  Baptist  Edu- 
cational Misssonary  and  Sunday-school  Convention 
of  South  Carolina,  and  Moderator  of  the  Pedee 
Baptist  Association.  For  eight  years  he  was  Trial 
Justice  of  Darlington  county.  He  has  been  instru- 
mental in  organizing  some  fifty  churches,  and  more 
than  that  number  of  Sunday-schools,  and  has  bap- 
tized above  three  thousand  persons.  He  writes : 

"A  large  part  of  my  success  as  a  pastor  is  due  to 
the  influence  which  the  Institute  has  had  upon  me. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         143 

I  was  there  stimulated  to  strive  to  become  '  a  work- 
man that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed.' ' 

Rev.  W.  W.  Colley,  of  Winchester,  Virginia, 
left  school  in  1875.  He  spent  some  eight  years  in 
Central  Africa.  He  was  born  in  1854,  and  was 
graduated  from  the  Richmond  Institute  in  1873. 
After  a  brief  pastorate  in  Connecticut  he  went  to 
the  Valley  of  the  Niger,  in  Western  Africa,  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention, 
where  he  remained  for  five  years.  He  was  the  first 
colored  man  to  enter  Africa  as  a  missionary  after 
the  close  of  the  war.  Feeling  the  importance  of 
organizing  the  colored  people  of  America  for  work 
in  Africa,  he  accepted  an  appointment  of  the  Bap- 
tist Foreign  Mission  Convention  of  the  United 
States,  and  labored  for  about  three  years  under  the 
auspices  of  that  Society,  which  he  had  been  largely 
instrumental  in  founding.  He  negotiated  treaties 
with  the  African  Kings  while  in  the  field,  and  did 
other  valuable  pioneer  work  in  the  cause  of  African 
missions.  Brother  Colley  has,  by  his  pen  and  his 
voice,  done  much  to  awaken  and  sustain  an  interest 
in  the  cause  of  missions  among  the  churches  at 
home.  With  health  restored  he  hopes  again  to 
enter  the  Foreign  Field.  In  speaking  of  the  influ- 
ence of  the  School  upon  his  spiritual  and  intellectual 
life,  he  says : 

"  I  there  received  those  deep  and  powerful  im- 
pressions which  gave  me  the  strongest  missionary 


144  HISTORY  OF  THE 

inclinations  which  have  influenced  me  for  more 
than  twenty  years.  My  intellectual  life  took  its 
root  in  the  influences  and  instructions  of  the  Insti- 
tution from  which  I  went  forth  to  the  Master's 
work." 

Rev.  Nelson  Jordan,  pastor  of  the  Mt.  Shiloh  and 
three  other  churches,  attended  the  Richmond  Insti- 
tute in  1877,  and  has  "  ever  since  found  use  for  the 
instruction  there  received,  and  the  impressions  re- 
ceived in  the  School  will  ever  remain  as  graven 
images "  before  his  sight.  He  has  organized  one 
church,  two  Sunday-schools,  and  has  baptized  one 
thousand  and  forty-nine. 

Rev.  Joseph  Gregory,  Franklin,  Virginia,  left 
school  in  1878.  He  has  organized  twelve  churches, 
built  two,  established  four  Sunday-schools  and  bap- 
tized two  thousand  five  hundred  persons.  He 
writes : 

"  The  influence  of  the  Seminary  on  my  spiritual 
and  intellectual  life  has  been  good,  and  has  drawn 
me  closer  to  the  people.  I  own  a  good  home.  I 
hope  I  stand  well  in  the  estimation  of  my  neigh- 
bors, both  white  and  colored.  I  have  educated  my 
son,  who  is  now  a  practicing  physican  in  New 
York." 

Rev.  J.  S.  Brown,  pastor  of  Chestnut  Grove 
Baptist  Church,  Bedford  county,  Virginia,  was 
graduated  from  Richmond  Institute  in  1878.  He 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          145 

has  organized  four  churches,  establiehed  ten  Sun- 
day-schools, and  has  baptized  five  hundred  persons. 
He  has  built  and  paid  for  three  churches.  For  ten 
years  he  has  been  Moderator  of  the  Rock  Fish 
Baptist  Association.  The  Seminary  has  been  of 
untold  good  to  him. 

Rev.  Solomon  Cosby,  of  Abeokuta,  West.  Africa, 
was  graduated  from  the  Richmond  Institute  in 
1878.  He  was  sent  out  as  a  missionary  by  the 
colored  Baptists  of  the  South.  He  refers  to  his 
connection  with  the  School  as  follows : 

"  None  have  been  more  blessed  in  that  old  build- 
ing than  myself.  There  I  found  Jesus  precious  to 
my  soul.  There  I  found  loving  Christian  teachers 
who  seemed  to  be  never  impatient  in  instructing 
me  in  the  true  principles  of  life  as  well  as  in  letters, 
though  stupid  and  indifferent  as  I  was.  When  my 
prayers  ascend  for  the  Institute  and  teachers,  and 
in  rn}-  cherished  recollections  of  Richmond  Institute 
it  will  never  be  an  easy  thing  for  me  to  disassociate 
the  old  building  on  the  corner  of  Nineteenth  and 
Main  Streets." 

Rev.  W.  J.  David  (white)  missionary  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention,  writes  from  Africa 
of  Brother  Cosby's  death  as  follows: 

BAPTIST  MISSIONARY  HOUSE, 
LAGOS,  W.  C.  A.,  May  3d,  1881. 

Rev.  A.  Binga,  Jr.,  Manchester,  Va. : 

DEAR  BROTHER  :  It  is  my  sad  and  painful  duty 


146  HISTORY  OF  THE 

to  inform  you  of  the  death  of  dear  Brother  Cosby, 
which  occurred  in  Abeokuta,  April  23d,  at  12  noon, 
of  jaundice  fever.  I  only  heard  of  his  illness  the 
day  he  died.  When  I  received  the  letter  informing 
me  of  his  illness,  I  left  at  once  for  Abeokuta,  hop- 
ing I  might  get  there  in  time  to  minister  unto  him, 
and  if  he  became  able,  to  bring  him  to  Lagos  where 
he  might  have  medical  advice.  I  traveled  during 
the  day  and  the  greater  part  of  three  nights,  and 
walked  the  last  ten  miles  of  the  journey  that  I 
might  get  there  sooner.  But  you  cannot  imagine 
my  feelings  when  I  arrived  and  was  told  he  "  is 
dead  and  buried."  Oh !  my  brother,  you  have 
heard  those  words  at  home,  but  never  have  they 
fallen  upon  your  ear  in  a  foreign  land.  You  have 
never  heard  them  where  they  meant  that  your  only 
countryman  and  fellow-laborer  was  no  more.  You 
have  never  heard  them  when  they  meant  that  you 
were  left  "  alone  "  in  the  midst  of  millions  of  hea- 
then, with  no  friend,  brother,  and  sympathizer.  As 
I  staid  by  his  grave  to  strew  flowers  over  it,  I  com- 
prehended, for  the  first  time  in  life,  something  of 
the  meaning  of  the  word  "  alone"  Only  four 
months  before  I  stood  by  the  grave  of  my  first  born, 
at  whose  birth  Brother  Cosby  rejoiced,  and  at  whose 
death  he  mingled  his  tears  with  ours.  These  and 
the  many  other  ways  by  which  he  endeared  himself 
to  us,  caused  my  tears  to  fall  at  his  grave.  Your 
relations  with  him  were  doubtless  more  of  an  oifi- 
cial  nature.  We  revealed  to  each  other  our  hopes 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          147 

and  fears,  our  joys  and  sorrows.     Therefore  our  loss 
is  personal,  and  we  have  lost  a  brother  beloved. 

He  left  us  the  12th  of  March  for  Abeokuta;  had 
been  down  on  a  business  meeting.  He  had  slight 
fevers  while  here,  but  was  quite  cheerful,  and  more 
anxious  to  return  to  Abeokuta  than  at  any  time 
before.  He  had  become  more  attached  to  the  place, 
and,  besides,  was  preparing  to  build  a  chapel  out  of 
funds  sent  him  by  the  Cosby  Missionary  Society  of 
Richmond.  When  he  landed  at  Abeokuta  it  was 
noon,  and,  as  his  journal  says,  "  very  hot;  "  yet  he 
walked  five  miles  to  the  mission  house  through  the 
sun.  This  was  highly  imprudent,  and  resulted  in  a 
fever  that  same  afternoon  and  night,  and  for  several 
successive  days.  But  they  had  stopped  when  he 
wrote  me  on  March  29th.  But  I  learned  from  his 
interpreter,  cook,  and  others,  also  his  journal,  that 
after  writing  to  me  he  began  to  have  fevers  every 
few  days,  until  finally  it  resulted  in  jaundice  fever, 
and  he  was  confined  to  his  bed  only  a  few  days. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Faulkner,  the  English  Church  Mis- 
sionary, came  to  our  mission  and  removed  Brother 
Cosby  to  his  home  on  Monday.  At  that  time  the 
symptoms  were  not  serious,  but  by  Wednesday 
they  had  so  far  increased  that  Mr.  Faulkner  sent  a 
man  to  me,  who  was  two  days  and  a  half  coming. 
From  Thursday  till  Saturday  he  was  delirious  at 
times,  and  in  a  stupor  until  his  death.  Even  when 
aroused  he  did  not  speak  unless  questioned.  Only 


148  HISTORY  OF  THE 

one  distinct  sentence  was  heard  from  him.  On  the 
day  of  his  death  Mr.  Faulkner  said:  "It  may  be 
the  Lord's  will  for  you  to  come  to  him  and  rest." 
He  replied :  "  I  want  to  go  and  rest  with  my  Sav- 
iour." Shortly  afterwards  he  obeyed  the  call  of  his 
Heavenly  Master  to  come  home  and  "  rest  from  his 
labors."  He  was  buried  at  6  P.  M.,  same  day,  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Faulkner,  who  nursed  him  like  a  brother, 
day  and  night,  until  his  spirit  took  its  flight.  Mr. 
Faulkner  deserves  the  profoundest  gratitude  of 
your  Board.  His  post-office  is  Lagos.  Your  letter 
calling  Brother  Cosby  home  to  rest  came  too  late 
to  be  seen  by  hirn.  I  herewith  return  the  bill  you 
sent  him. 

I  do  not  know  whether  you  claim  his  diary,  or 
his  family,  to  whom  I  will  write  by  this  mail.  If 
you  desire  any  further  information  concerning  him, 
let  me  know,  and  I  will  take  pleasure  in  giving  all 
I  have  or  can  obtain.  I  now  close  my  sad  duties. 
May  all  of  us  be  as  ready  to  go  when  the  Lord  calls 
as  he  was.  He  was  eminently  pious.  Pray  for  us. 

Yours  affectionately, 

W.  J.  DAVID. 

Mrs.  Nannie  David,  wife  of  Rev.  W.  J.  David, 
writes  of  the  same  sad  occurrence,  April  30th,  1881 : 

"  Many  friends  were  present  at  his  burial,  and 
since  the  sad  news  reached  this  place,  his  friends, 
both  foreign  and  native,  are  continually  pouring  in 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         149 

to  sympathize  with  me  and  express  their  sorrow. 
Brother  Cosby  was  much  beloved  by  all — specially 
the  young  people.  I  need  not  mention  the  feelings 
of  our  hearts  at  this  dispensation  of  Providence. 
He  welcomed  us  upon  our  arrival,  lived  in  the  house 
with  us  more  than  seven  months,  rejoiced  Avith  us 
at  the  birth  of  our  precious  babe,  mourned  with  us 
at  her  death,  and  in  many  ways  endeared  himself 
to  us.  We  will  miss  him  sadly,  but  for  him  we  sor- 
row not.  He  has  only  laid  down  '  his  sword  for  a 
harp  ;  his  cross  for  a  crown.' ' 

Rev.  W.  M.  Robinson,  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  Fredericksburg,  Virginia,  left  school  in 
1877.  When  called  to  the  ministry  he  did  not 
know  a  letter  in  the  alphabet.  During  the  year 
1869  he  walked  eight  miles  three  times  a  week  to 
attend  a  free  night  school.  His  way  was  through 
the  woods,  and  sometimes  he  became  lost  in  the 
darkness.  He  writes,  June  5th,  1894  : 

"  In  the  same  year  I  heard  my  old  master  reading 
in  some  of  the  Richmond  papers  that  there  was  a 
school  opened  in  Richmond  for  the  purpose  of 
granting  young  colored  men  an  opportunity  to  study 
for  the  ministry.  I  wrote  to  the  same,  President 
Rev.  Dr.  Corey.  I  wrote  on  Sunday,  and  on  Tues- 
day I  received  an  answer  to  come  to  the  School 
with  a  clear  recommendation  from  any  church.  In 
1872  I  entered  the  Richmond  Institute.  I  remained 
there  five  years.  Since  I  left  school  I  have  organ- 


150  HISTORY  OF  THE 

ized  twelve  churches  and  thirty-three  Sunday- 
schools.  I  have  baptized  1,698  willing  souls,  and 
added  them  to  the  churches;  these  churches  are  all 
self  supporting,  have  their  own  ministers  and  their 
own  Sunday-schools.  I  am  now  pastor  of  two  very 
fine  churches,  with  a  membership  of  1,769  mem- 
bers. I  have  builded  five  meeting  houses  at  a  cost 
of  $18,000,  all  of  which  are  paid  for  except  the  one 
in  this  city,  Fredericksburg." 

Rev.  T.  J.  Chick  left  Richmond  Institute  in  1879, 
and  writes  : 

"  I  have  been  instrumental  in  organizing  four 
churches  and  five  Sunday-schools.  Two  of  the 
Sunday-schools  have  since  grown  into  churches.  I 
have  baptized  sixty-three  persons.  Since  leaving 
school  I  have  been  laboring  as  State  Sunday-school 
Missionary  for  the  American  Baptist  Publication 
Society  for  fourteen  years ;  and  I  have  been  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education  and  its  treasurer 
ever  since  it  was  organized.  I  have  held  the  posi- 
tion of  first  Vice-President  of  the  Virginia  Baptist 
State  Convention  for  two  consecutive  years.  I  have 
found  that  an  exemplary  Christian  life  has  much 
more  influence  upon  the  people  than  an  eloquent 
tongue  behind  an  immoral  and  unreliable  life.  I 
have  been  a  diligent  student — though  constant  and 
continuous  travel  has  allowed  little  spare  time,  but 
that  I  have  endeavored  to  employ  wisely." 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         151 

Rev.  P.  E.  Anderson,  Meherrin,  Virginia,  left 
Richmond  Institute  in  1879.  He  writes  : 

"  I  have  organized  one  church,  established  six 
Sunday-schools  and  one  Sunday-school  Convention, 
composed  of  sixty-seven  schools.  I  have  baptized 
sixty  persons." 

Brother  Anderson  has  spent  much  time  in  teach- 
ing, and  has  occupied  various  important  positions 
in  the  educational  and  religious  work  of  his  portion 
of  the  State.  He  is  pastor  of  two  churches,  New 
Bethel  and  Shiloh,  and  also  President  of  the  Blue- 
stone  Baptist  Sunday-school  Convention.  "I  owe," 
he  says  "  many  thanks  to  the  Richmond  Institute 
for  spiritual  and  intellectual  influences  received. 
The  Institute  made  me  what  I  am,  intellectually, 
morally  and  spiritually.  From  the  Primary  Old 
Field  public  schoolhouse  I  stepped  into  her  walls, 
and  was  there  encouraged  to  stand  up  for  education, 
good  morals  and  religion;  since  leaving  the  School, 
in  1879,  I  have  never  forsaken  those  principles.  I 
own  a  small  farm,  horse,  buggy  and  other  prop- 
erty." 

Rev.  Aaron  Wells,  of  Petersburg,  Virginia,  who 
left  Richmond  Institute  in  1881,  writes,  May  20th, 
1892: 

"  I  have  built  three  churches,  established  five 
Sunday-schools,  and  have  baptized  over  one  thou- 
sand persons.  I  took  charge  of  the  Wilborn  Bap- 


152  HISTORY  OF  THE 

tist  Church,  near  Waverly,  Virginia,  in  1883,  and 
resigned  in  1888.  I  took  charge  of  the  Union 
Baptist  Church,  Yale,  Virginia,  1888,  and  of  the 
Jerusalem  Baptist  Church,  Jarretts,  Virginia,  while 
a  student  in  1879.  I  am  still  pastor  of  the  two  last 
named  churches.  For  several  years  I  was  Modera- 
tor of  the  Bethany  Baptist  Association,  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  District  Sunday-school  Convention. 
The  influence  of  the  School  upon  my  spiritual  life 
was  what  the  influence  of  devoted  and  religious 
parents  would  be  to  their  children.  At  the  School 
I  also  learned  how  to  study.  If  my  course  of  study 
has  not  drawn  me  closer  to  my  people  then  I  have 
made  a  great  failure.  But  I  have  reason  to  believe 
that  I  have  not  made  a  failure." 

Rev.  Guy  Powell,  Franklin,  Southampton  county, 
Virginia,  who  left  the  Richmond  Institute  in  1880, 
has  organized  six  Baptist  Churches  and  eight  Sun- 
day-schools. He  has  baptized  not  less  than  2,000 
persons.  He  was  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  Franklin 
county  more  than  three  years;  a  member  of  the 
Senate  of  Virginia  for  four  years,  and  a  member  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  two  years.  For  seven 
years  he  has  been  Moderator  of  the  Bethany  Baptist 
Association,  and  is  Chairman  of  the  Bethany  Bap- 
tist Sunday-school  Convention.  He  has  married 
about  five  hundred  persons.  He  now  presides  over 
three  churches,  and  preaches  to  2,100  members. 
He  writes,  August  2cl,  1893 : 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          153 

"  The  influence  of  the  Seminary  on  my  spiritual 
life  has  been  great.  The  instruction  received  there 
has  been  the  means  of  a  great  spiritual  blessing, 
both  to  me  and  the  people  over  whom  I  have  pre- 
sided for  the  last  nineteen  years.  A  desire  for 
more  knowledge  was  there  created,  and  an  impulse 
to  search  for  hidden  truths  was  there  received.  I 
have  been  drawn  to  my  people  by  my  course  of 
study,  and  my  people  have  learned  to  appreciate 
education  when  it  is  used  in  the  right  way." 

Rev.  Elisha  Perry,  Franklin,  Virginia,  who  left 
Richmond  Institute  in  1881,  has  organized  three 
churches,  built  three,  established  four  Sunday- 
schools,  and  has  baptized  180  persons.  He  writes  : 

"  The  instruction  received  in  the  Seminary  has 
led  me  closer  to  the  Saviour,  and  has  helped  me  in 
trying  to  live  in  accordance  with  the  divine  law, 
and  to  be  patient  and  long-forbearing.  Save  my 
conversion,  it  has  had  all  to  do  with  shaping  the 
course  of  my  spiritual  life.  Though  I  did  not  pur- 
sue my  studies  very  far,  I  secured  enough  knowledge 
to  steer  my  course,  and  to  try  to  gather  enough  in- 
formation to  enable  me  to  speak  the  Word  as  it  is. 
I  have  been  drawn  closer  to  the  people,  and  though 
I  have  spent  the  greater  number  of  my  days  on 
earth,  yet  I  feel  that  I  am  being  blessed  more  and 
more." 

Rev.  J.  H.  A.  Cyrus,  who  left  Richmond  Instutute 


154  HISTORY  OF  THE 

in  1881,  is  pastor  of  the  Port  Royal  and  three  other 
Baptist  Churches.  He  has  organized  one  church, 
four  Sunday-schools,  and  baptized  280  persona.  He 
has  been  elected  to  various  positions  of  responsi- 
bility, both  ecclesiastical  arid  civil.  He  writes  : 

"  I  remember  with  gratitude  the  few  weeks  I 
spent  within  the  sacred  walls  of  Richmond  Insti- 
tute. The  noble  Christian  instructors  there  in- 
spired me  with  an  earnest  purpose  to  work  for 
Christ  and  the  salvation  of  humanity.  To  this  end 
I  have  dedicated  my  life.  Intellectually,  I  received 
an  incentive  at  the  Institution  which  has  kept  me 
constantly  striving  to  add  to  my  knowledge,  taxing 
every  available  means  to  this  end." 

Rev.  L.  A.  Scruggs,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  Raleigh, 
North  Carolina,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Rich- 
mond Institute  in  1882,  has  organized  two  churches, 
built  one  church,  paid  one  church  debt,  and  estab- 
lished three  Sunday-schools.  Dr.  Scruggs  has  been 
Professor  of  Physiology  at  Shaw  University,  and 
Resident  Physician  at  Leonard  Medical  College 
Hospital.  He  is  now  Visiting  Physician  and  Lec- 
turer on  Physiology  and  Hygiene  at  Saint  Augus- 
tine's Normal  and  Collegiate  Institute.  He  received 
the  degree  of  A.  B.  and  A.  M.  in  course  at  Shaw 
University,  and  M.  I),  at  Leonard  Medical  College. 
He  writes : 

"  The  influence  of  the  Seminary  has  been  most 
marked  upon  my  life.  I  owe  much  (of  the  little  I 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         155 

am)  of  what  I  am  to  the  Institution,  from  a  spiritual 
point  of  view.  The  influence  upon  my  intellectual 
life  has  been  also  great.  My  course  of  study  in  the 
Richmond  Institute  has  brought  me  in  much  closer 
sympathy  with  my  people.  I  shall  try,  God  help- 
ing me, .to  make  the  very  best  of  my  life.  I  hope 
never  to  see  the  day  when  either  Mr.  P.,  my  bene- 
factor, or  you  will  think  less  of  me  than  you  do 
now,  but  that  you  both  shall  feel  that  the  time  and 
money  which  have  been  spent  to  educate  me  have 
been  well  spent." 

Rev.  A.  W.  Pegues,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D.,  Raleigh, 
North  Carolina,  was  graduated  from  Richmond 
Institute  in  1882.  He  has  organized  three  churches 
since  leaving  school,  established  seventeen  Sunday- 
schools,  and  has  baptized  150  people.  Dr.  Pegues 
was,  for  five  years,  Professor  of  Latin  and  Philoso- 
phy in  Shaw  University,  Raleigh,  North  Carolina, 
and  is  now  General  Sunday-School  Missionary  of 
the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society  for  North 
Carolina.  He  says : 

"  If  I  ever  do  anything  in  the  intellectual  world 
it  will  be  due  largely  to  the  impressions  made  upon 
me  at  the  Richmond  Institute.  My  course  has  ena- 
bled me  to  reach  the  people  as  I  never  could  have 
done  without  it." 

Rev.  C.  S.  Coleman,  Scottsburg,  Virginia,  who 
left  the  Richmond  Institute  in  1882,  writes,  Novem- 
ber 23rd,  1892: 


156  HISTORY  OF  THE 

"  I  have  organized  five  churches,  established  two 
Sunday-schools,  and  have  baptized  1,787  persons. 
The  influence  of  the  Institution  on  my  life,  spiritual 
and  intellectual,  has  been  alike  good  and  great. 
The  course  of  study  seemed  a  strong  cord  to  hold 
me  to  my  people." 

Rev.  D.  M.  Pierce,  A.  M.,  who  was  graduated 
from  Richmond  Institute  in  1882,  Principal  of  Tim- 
monsville  (South  Carolina)  Colored  Graded  School, 
writes,  February  3d,  1894  : 

"  I  feel  deeply  indebted  to  you  as  my  benefactor 
and  educational  father.  I  have  been  busy  from  the 
day  I  left  Richmond  to  this  day,  working  for  the 
civilization  of  my  race.  The  people  and  the  Lord 
have  used  me  in  their  interest.  I  am  still  a  student, 
and  find  my  highest  happiness  in  imparting  the 
riches  of  Jesus  to  my  unfortunate  race.  I  can 
never  forget  you,  who  have  settled  my  destiny  for 
life  and  Heaven." 

Rev.  J.  Milton  Waldron,  A.  M.,  pastor  of  the 
Bethel  Baptist  Church,  Jacksonville,  Florida,  and 
Professor  of  Rhetoric  and  Biblical  Interpretation 
in  the  Florida  Baptist  Academy,  was  graduated 
from  the  Richmond  Institute  in  1882.  Professor 
Waldron,  from  May,  1889,  to  September,  1890,  was 
General  Secretary  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  during  which 
time  he  secured  $5,000  for  running  expenses  and 


PROF.  J.  E.  JONES,  D.  D. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         157 

building,  and  assisted  in  starting  six  different 
Young  Men's  Christian  Associations  in  as  many 
different  places.  For  more  than  two  years  Mr. 
Waldron  was  pastor  of  the  Berean  Baptist  Church, 
Washington,  D.  C.  He  says  : 

"I  was  converted  to  Christ  and  led  into  the 
Christian  ministry  while  in  the  Kichmond  Institute. 
Its  spiritual  influence  has  followed  me  and  helped 
me  most  wonderfully." 

Rev.  C.  II.  Payne,  D.  D.,  Montgomery,  West 
Virginia,  was  graduated  from  Richmond  Institute 
in  1883.  Dr.  Payne  writes : 

"  I  am  trying  to  do  about  three  men's  work.  I 
am  pastor  of  two  churches,  editor  of  a  weekly 
newspaper,  and  deputy  collector  of  internal  reve- 
nue, and  doing  a  large  part  of  the  work  of  superin- 
tending our  State  Mission  work.  I  am  often  forced 
to  work  night  and  day  in  order  to  carry  forward 
the  many  lines  of  work  in  which  I  am  engaged." 

In  response  to  questions  submitted  he  says  : 

"  I  have  been  instrumental  in  organizing  eleven 
churches,  establishing  eight  Sunday-schools,  and 
have  baptized  572  persons.  I  am  President  of  the 
West  Virginia  Baptist  State  Convention." 

Dr.  Payne  has  held  important  positions  of  trust, 
both  political  and  religious,  and  he  says : 

"  The  Seminary  has  exerted  a  helpful  influence 


158  HISTORY  OF  THE 

upon  my  spiritual  life  such  as  only  eternity  can 
reveal.  The  development  I  have  made  intellectually 
is  due  almost  wholly  to  the  influence  exerted  by  the 
Seminary.  In  proportion  as  my  work  proves  effi- 
cient and  helpful  to  my  people,  in  the  same  pro- 
portion am  I  drawn  to  them." 

Rev.  J.  H.  Presley,  who  was  cutting  his  three 
cords  of  wood  per  day  in  Virginia,  and  was  unable 
to  read  or  write  when  converted  and  called  to  the 
ministry,  graduated  from  Richmond  Institute.  He 
entered  the  foreign  field  in  1888,  and  organized  one 
Baptist  Church  in  the  Vey  Tribe  in  Africa.  He 
has  baptized  more  than  100  persons.  Since  his 
return  from  Africa,  in  1886,  Brother  Presley,  after 
a  pastorate  of  one  year,  has  been  engaged  in  Evan- 
gelistic work,  as  his  health  did  not  permit  of  his 
return  to  Africa.  More  than  2,500  have  professed 
conversion  in  the  various  meetings  conducted  by 
him  up  to  May,  1894.  He  writes  : 

"  The  influence  of  the  Seminary  on  my  spiritual 
life  has  enabled  me  to  better  understand  my  great 
responsibility  to  God  and  my  duty  to  a  lost  world. 
In  the  School  I  learned  how  little  I  knew,  and  how 
much  I  am  still  to  learn  if  &  am  to  efficiently  serve 
my  Master  and  His  people.  I  there  learned  to 
understand  men,  and  thus  I  have  been  drawn  to 
the  people  and  the  people  to  me." 

Rev.  J.  J.   Coles,  Baptist  Vey  Mission,  Manoh 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          159 

Salijah,  Sierra  Leone,  W.  C.  Africa,  was  graduated 
from  the  Richmond  Institute  in  1883.  He  com- 
menced work  in  1885 :  he  had  a  day  school  and  a 
Sunday-school.  The  material  around  him  had  to 
be  grown  before  he  could  build.  He  baptized 
seven,  and  was  instrumental  in  dispelling  ignorance 
and  superstition.  His  life  abroad  was  an  eventful 
one.  Five  times  he  was  seemingly  in  the  arms  of 
death,  and  was  only  rescued  by  Divine  mercy.  He 
labored  self-denyingly ;  and  of  suffering  and  hard- 
ship he  had  his  share.  He  writes  : 

"  When  I  came  to  the  School  I  was  a  converted 
man,  yet  I  had  many  false  notions  and  imperfect 
ideas  of  religion.  These  were  remedied  by  the  in- 
struction I  received.  There  I  dug  up  the  old  wooden 
foundations  of  ignorance,  deeply  mixed  with  super- 
stition, and  laid  the  corners  with  stone,  on  which  I 
am  still  trying  to  build  an  edifice  that  will  enable 
me  to  be  more  useful  to  my  fellow  men.  My  course 
of  study  draws  me  to  my  people." 

On  the  22d  of  July,  1893,  Brother  Coles  returned 
to  America  for  rest  and  recuperation.  But  zeal  for 
the  Master  consumed  him,  and  December  7th,  1893, 
"  he  fell  on  sleep,"  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven  years. 
Devout  men  made  great  lamentation  over  him.  He 
was  a  great  man.  He  was  beloved  alike  by  his 
brethren  at  home  and  the  natives  of  Africa  among 
whom  he  labored,  both  young  and  old. 

Rev.  C.  W.  B.  Gordon,  pastor  of  the  Tabernacle 


160  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Baptist  Church,  Petersburg,  who  left  School  in 
1884,  has  organized  one  church,  built  two,  and  es- 
tablished a  number  of  Sunday-schools.  He  says : 

"I  have  baptized  more  than  1,500,  am  editor  of 
the  National  Pilot,  and  am  the  author  of  a  volume 
of  select  sermons.  The  influence  of  the  Seminary 
on  my  life  has  been  inestimable.  It  has  been  what 
fire  is  to  the  moving  engine.  I  shall  ever  hold  in 
grateful  regard  the  Richmond  Theological  Semi- 
nary." 

Rev.  A.  Chisholm,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  Wash- 
ington Street  Baptist  Church,  Bedford  City,  Vir- 
ginia, was  graduated  from  the  Seminary  in  1884. 
He  has  been  instrumental  in  organizing  three 
churches  and  five  Sunday-schools,  and  has  baptized 
700  persons.  Dr.  Chisholm  writes  : 

"  The  Seminary  was  a  source  of  inspiration  to 
me.  Never  can  I  forget  the  glorious  prayer-meet- 
ings enjoyed  there.  The  influence  of  the  Seminary 
upon  my  intellectual  life  has  been  strong,  whole- 
some, and  effective.  My  studies  have  drawn  me 
closer  to  the  people.  I  understand  them  better, 
and  know  how  to  reach  their  spiritual  needs,  and 
the  same  is  true  with  respect  to  them ;  they  can 
understand  me  better." 

Rev.  G.  L.  P.  Taliaferro  was  graduated  from 
Richmond  Institute  in  1885,  and  he  is  now  pastor 
of  the  Holy  Trinity  Baptist  Church,  in  Philadel- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          161 

phia.  He  has  established  one  Sunday-school,  and 
has  paid  about  $5,000  on  church  debts.  He  has 
baptized  about  300,  and  has  had  about  1,000  more 
converts  in  meetings  he  has  held.  He  is  Secretary 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Baptist  State  Convention,  and 
managing  editor  of  the  Christian  Banner.  He  says : 

"  My  Seminary  course  strengthened  and  more 
fully  developed  my  spiritual  powers.  Intellectually, 
I  owe  the  greatest  part  of  my  success  to  the  Semi- 
nary. My  course  of  study  has  drawn  me  to  my 
people." 

Brother  Taliaferro  has  had  great  success  as  an 
evangelist,  and  as  a  worker  and  lecturer  in  the 
cause  of  temperance. 

Rev.  L.  W.  Wales,  pastor  of  the  Mt.  Ararat 
Baptist  Church,  Williamsburg,  Virginia,  and  the 
Rising  Sun  Baptist  Church,  York  County,  Virginia, 
was  graduated  from  the  Richmond  Institute  in  1885. 
He  has  organized  one  church  since  1885,  has  raised 
for  church  building  purposes,  $3,000,  has  baptized 
more  than  300  persons.  He  says  : 

"  My  course  of  study  has  enabled  me  to  enter 
into  sympathy  with  my  people,  and  to  labor  cheer- 
fully for  their  temporal  and  spiritual  welfare.  I 
have  been  able  to  save  something  for  the  '  rainy 
day.'  I  feel  at  a  loss  for  words  of  praise  in  behalf 
of  the  School  and  the  Faculty,  for  what  they  have 


162  HISTORY  OF  THE 

done  for  me,  and  with  a  grateful  heart  I  shall  always 
pray  for  their  success." 

Rev.  R.  C.  Quarles,  pastor  of  the  Pilgrim  Baptist 
Church,  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  entered  school  in  1880, 
and  was  graduated  from  the  Richmond  Institute  in 
1885.  After  successful  pastorates  in  Farmville,  Vir- 
ginia, and  in  Buffalo,  Xew  York,  he  has  entered 
upon  an  important  field  in  the  West.  He  has  bap- 
tized 393  persons.  He  writes  : 

"  The  influence  of  the  Seminary  on  my  intellect- 
ual powers  has  been  wonderful,  having  sharpened 
my  reasoning  faculties,  and  given  me  clearer  views 
of  the  great  doctrines  of  the  Bible.  It  has  set  the 
wheels  going,  which  in  order  to  achieve  suc- 
cess, must  continue  to  go.  My  course  of  study  has 
drawn  me  closer  to  the  people,  and  has  caused  me 
to  yearn  for  their  up-building,  intellectually,  finan- 
cially, morally,  and  spiritually,  as  never  before." 

Rev.  Henry  Madison,  San  Marino,  Virginia,  left 
school  in  1886.  He  has  organized  two  churches 
and  five  Sunday-schools.  He  has  built  and  paid  for 
four  churches,  and  has  baptized  1,428  persons,  has 
married  112  couples,  and  has  preached  346  funerals. 
His  spiritual  and  intellectual  life  has  been  wonder- 
fully quickened  by  his  stay  in  the  Seminary. 

Rev.  S.  A.  Garland,  pastor  of  the  Brookville 
Baptist  Church,  Amherst  County,  Virginia,  since 
he  left  the  Richmond  Institute,  in  1885,  has  organ- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         163 

ized  two  churches,  four  Sunday-schools,  and  has 
baptized  200  converts,  and  is  President  of  the  Min- 
isterial Union,  of  Lynchburg,  Virginia.  He  writes : 

"  If  I  am  any  good  to  the  world,  it  is  due  to  the 
training  that  I  received  in  this  School.  I  would  have 
been  in  obscure  life  had  it  not  been  for  the  intellect- 
ual training  that  I  received  from  the  Richmond 
Institute.  I  can  never  forget  your  interpretation  of 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  I  have  found  that  there 
is  '  No  royal  road  to  success ; '  and  I  shall  ever 
remember  what  you  said  to  us,  that  we  need  not  go 
through  the  world  expecting  the  trees  to  bow  down 
to  us." 

Rev.  E.  Payne,  of  the  Fourth  Baptist  Church, 
Richmond,  Virginia,  writes  : 

"  I  have  built  one  church  and  paid  the  debt  on 
one  church.  I  have  baptized  about  1,500  persons. 
I  have  had  charge  of  but  one  church  from  June  1st, 
1880,  until  the  present  time.  I  am  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  the  Friends'  Orphan  Asylum,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Home  and  Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the 
Virginia  Baptist  State  Convention.  The  influence 
of  the  Seminary  has  been  very  great,  both  on  my 
spiritual  and  intellectual  life.  My  course  of  study 
has  drawn  me  closer  to  the  people  and  has  been  of 
invaluable  service  to  me.  I  am  only  too  sorry  that 
I  have  not  been  able  to  attend  the  School  more." 

Some  additional  facts  in  the  life  of  Elder  Payne, 


164  HISTORY  OF  THE 

who  left  the  Seminary  in  1887,  may  be  of  interest. 
The  following  statement  is  furnished  by  himself: 

"  I  was  working  as  a  laborer  for  the  city  of  Rich- 
mond when  I  was  called  of  God  to  preach  ;  but  I 
knew  not  how,  being  in  total  ignorance.  One  day 
while  working  on  the  corporation  I  picked  up  a 
piece  of  a  book  on  an  ash  heap.  In  this  I  saw  a 
wrord,  and  other  words  just  oft'  from  that.  This 
caused  me  to  like  the  piece  of  a  book,  and  I  kept 
it  for  two  or  three  weeks,  being  ashamed  to  ask  any 
one  what  it  was.  Finally  I  asked  a  fellow-work- 
man, who  laughed  heartily  at  me  for  my  ignorance, 
and  told  me  that  it  was  part  of  an  old  Dictionary. 
These  pieces  were  dear  to  me  and  I  held  on  to 
them.  I  took  the  notion  to  go  to  school,  so  I  found 
a  little  girl  about  fourteen  years  old  who  was  will- 
ing to  teach  me.  I  learned  to  spell  and  read  very 
rapidly.  So  it  fell  on  a  day  (Sunday)  that  I  thought 
I  might  read  a  chapter  in  the  Bible  if  I  were  to  try. 
I  told  Mrs.  Hannah  Willis  my  wish.  She  told  me 
if  I  could  read  a  chapter  in  the  Bible  she  would 
give  me  a  Bible.  She  told  me  to  turn  to  the  25th 
chapter  of  Matthew,  as  I  would  find  that  an  easy 
one.  But  my  trouble  was  to  find  Matthew,  and 
then  to  find  the  chapter  she  named.  I  opened  the 
book  to  what  proved  to  be  the  5th  chapter  of  Reve- 
lation. This  I  read.  She  then  gave  the  Bible  to 
me,  which  turned  out  to  be  the  half  of  one.  I  con- 
tinued to  go  to  school  to  anyone  that  I  could,  in  the 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         165 

meantime  working  for  an  honest  living  whenever  I 
could  get  work.  When  I  took  charge  of  this 
church,  in  1880,  I  had  these  two  pieces  of  books,  a 
Bible,  Dictionary,  and  a  whole  Bible.  I  had  not  a 
set  of  good  books  yet,  but  as  I  could,  I  bought 
books  here  and  there." 

Brother  Payne  for  several  years  was  a  student  at 
the  Seminary,  and  serving  the  church  at  the  same 
time.  I  secured  a  grant  of  books  from  the  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Publication  Society  for  Brother  Payne, 
as  I  have  for  scores  of  ministers  and  students  in  the 
South.  In  the  thirteen  years  of  his  pastorate  he 
has  built  a  substantial  brick  church,  costing  $30,000, 
on  which  there  is  no  indebtedness.  There  are  no 
rich  members  in  the  church,  but  all  work  for  their 
daily  bread. 

Rev.  A.  R.  Griggs,  D.  D.,  Dallas,  Texas,  who  left 
Richmond  Theological  Seminary  in  1887,  writes  as 
follows : 

"  I  have  organized  ten  churches,  and  built  five. 
I  have  established  about  twenty  Sunday-schools, 
and  baptized  about  100.  As  missionary  pastor,  I 
served  Mt.  Zion  Church,  Forney,  Texas,  from  De- 
cember, 1888,  to  1889.  I  have  held  the  following 
positions :  Moderator  of  the  Northwestern  Baptist 
Association,  Trustee  of  Bishop  College  and  of 
Hearne  Academy,  President  of  the  Baptist  State 
Convention,  State  Sunday-school  Evangelist,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Foreign  Mission  Convention  of  the 


166  HISTORY  OF  THE 

United  States  of  America,  member  of  the  Advisory 
Council  on  Religious  Congresses  of  the  World's 
Congress  Auxiliary,  editor  of  the  Missionary  Dollar 
Reporter.  The  State  University,  of  Kentucky,  gave 
me  the  honorary  degree  of  D.  D.  The  influence 
of  the  Seminary  kindled  a  flame  of  spiritual  life  in 
me  that  has  enabled  me  to  do  my  Christian  work 
wilh  a  degree  of  joy,  comfort,  and  understanding 
that  could  not  have  come  to  me  otherwise.  The 
spiritual  life  that  pervades  every  department  of  the 
school  work  done  in  the  Seminary,  is  so  visibly 
manifested  that  no  student,  in  my  judgment,  could 
escape  its  influence,  so  powerful  yet  pleasant.  The 
Seminary's  influence  upon  my  intellectual  life  has 
wrought  wonders  for  me  in  preparing  my  mind  for 
systematic  study  and  an  appreciation  for  useful 
knowledge.  The  Seminary  has  given  me  a  place 
among  noble  and  intelligent  people.  Once  I  used 
to  shun  such  company,  or  close  contact  with  such 
men.  Now  I  seek  and  enjoy  it.  I  see  the  impor- 
tance of  intelligence,  and  long  for  it  more  and  more. 
I  feel  that  I  have  been  able  to  serve  my  people  bet- 
ter and  more  acceptably  in  the  cause  of  Christ. 
My  course  of  study  has  enabled  me  to  reach  my 
people  in  many  ways  that  I  knew  not  of  before ; 
therefore  I  feel  myself  drawn  closer  to  them." 

Rev.  A.  J.  Brown,  B.  D.,  pastor  of  the  Queen 
Street  Baptist  Church,  Norfolk,  Virginia,  though 
but  recently  from  the  Seminary  (1888),  has  done  an 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          167 

important  work.  He  has  very  materially  reduced 
the  heavy  indebtedness  of  his  church,  and  has  bap- 
tized in  all  about  200  persons.  For  a  young  man, 
Brother  Brown  has  held  several  responsible  posi- 
tions. For  four  years  he  was  Secretary  of  the 
Home  Mission  Board  of  the  Virginia  State  Baptist 
Convention,  and  in  this  capacity  successfully  car- 
ried on  the  mission  work  of  the  State. 

Rev.  Z.  D.  Lewis,  B.  D.,  a  graduate  from  the 
Richmond  Theological  Seminary,  in  1889,  is  pastor 
of  the  Second  Baptist  Church,  Richmond,  Virginia. 
On  coming  to  this  church  as  pastor,  in  March,  1889, 
he  found  it  much  in  debt,  with  nothing  in  its  treas- 
ury. All  debts  have  been  paid,  and  several  hundred 
dollars  are  in  hand  for  a  new  edifice.  Pastor  Lewis 
has  baptized  about  1,050  persons.  He  is  Secretary  of 
the  Shiloh  Association,  and  an  officer  in  a  number 
of  important  organizations.  He  writes  : 

"  The  influence  of  the  Seminary  has  been  such 
as  to  give  me  a  clearer  vision  of  my  duty  to  myself, 
to  my  fellow-man,  and  to  God,  and  its  course  of 
study  and  discipline  have  drawn  and  tied  me  to  my 
people.  The  church  evinces  much  love  for  the 
School,  and  confides  much  in  its  ability  to  furnish 
men  for  the  times.  The  Lord  has  been  with  me, 
and  greatly  blessed  me.  Even  now  the  future  ap- 
pears bright  before  me,  with  Him  still  at  my  right 
hand." 

Rev.  Forris  J.  Washington,  Williamston,  South 


168  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Carolina,  left  school  in  1889.  He  has  baptized 
sixty-five  converts.  He  is  trying  to  establish  a 
school  of  high  grade  for  the  benefit  of  young  men 
and  women.  In  the  years  he  has  been  teaching  he 
has  instructed  nearly  one  hundred  pupils.  He 
writes : 

"  Words  are  not  at  my  command  to  express  the 
good  effect  of  my  Seminary  course  upon  my  spiri- 
tual and  intellectual  life.  I  regard  the  time  spent 
in  preparation  for  the  Lord's  work  the  most  valuable 
time  spent  on  earth." 

Rev.  P.  S.  Lewis,  B.  D.,  Salisbury,  North  Caro- 
lina, says : 

"  Since  commencing  my  work  here  in  1889,  I 
have  paid  one  church  debt  and  have  baptized  sixty. 
I  am  Moderator  of  the  Rowan  Association,  and 
have  held  other  ecclesiastical  positions.  The  influ- 
ence on  my  spiritual  and  intellectual  life  has  been 
wonderful.  I  am  still  thirsty.  Your  friendly  ad- 
vice during  my  school  life  is  to  me  a  lasting  treasure. 
May  God  prolong  your  days  of  usefulness  to  ele- 
vate my  race." 

Rev.  Ellis  Watts,  B.  D.,  pastor  of  the  Harrison 
Street  Baptist  Church,  Petersburg,  Virginia,  was 
graduated  from  the  Richmond  Institute  in  1880, 
and  from  the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary  in 
1890.  He  reports  large  congregations  and  constant 
additions.  He  writes : 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          169 

"  I  have  assisted  in  organizing  tive  churches.  I 
have  organized  five  Sunday-schools  and  have  bap- 
tized about  1,000.  I  was  Missionary  for  the  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  for  nearly  four 
years.  I  received  the  Degree  of  B.  D.  from  the 
Richmond  Theological  Seminary.  I  entered  the 
Richmond  Institute  in  1875  moneyless,  and  without 
friends  able  to  help  me.  It  was  the  friends  of  the 
Institution  who  helped  me,  and  for  this  aid  I  can 
never  cease  to  give  thanks  to  God,  for  both  my 
spiritual  and  intellectual  life  have  been  greatly 
helped  by  the  Seminary.  My  course  of  study  helps 
me  to  do  better  work  with  greater  ease.  By  it  I 
have  been  drawn  decidely  nearer  my  people ;  their 
condition,  their  needs,  and  the  way  out,  fill  me 
with  the  greatest  sympathy." 

Rev.  Z.  Taylor  Whiting,  of  Ordinary,  Virginia, 
left  school  in  1890,  and  he  has  organized  three 
churches,  started  three  Sunday-schools,  and  has 
baptized  550  persons.  He  has  also  erected  two 
church  edifices.  He  reports  : 

"  Spiritually,  the  influence  of  the  Seminary  has 
been  a  permanent  guide,  and  intellectually,  a  helper 
in  solving  the  hard  problems  of  life.  I  cannot  ex- 
press the  gratitude  I  feel  for  the  help  I  received 
from  the  Seminary." 

Rev.  J.  II.  Turner,  B.  D.,  who  was  graduated 
from  the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary  in  1890, 
writes : 


170  HISTORY  OF  THE 

"  I  have  paid  one  church  debt  of  ninety-five 
dollars.  I  have  organized  four  churches  and  bap- 
tized eight  persons.  I  am  now  State  Sunday-school 
Missionary  of  the  Virginia  Baptist  State  Conven- 
tion. I  have  held  five  religious  institutes,  and  have 
received  the  Degree  of  B.  I).  The  influence  of  the 
Seminary  upon  my  spiritual  life,  by  the  contact 
with  religious  teachers  and  pupils,  has  been  of  un- 
told value  to  me  in  my  Christian  experience.  If  I 
had  not  attended  the  Richmond  Theological  Semi- 
nary, or  some  similar  school,  principles  and  powers 
that  were  hidden  would  never  have  been  developed 
in  me.  Theory  and  practice  are  drawing  me  nearer 
and  nearer  to  fallen  humanity." 

Rev.  E.  V.  Gassaway,  B.  D.,  pastor  of  the  St. 
Paul's  Baptist  Church,  Anderson  Court  House, 
South  Carolina,  since  his  graduation  from  the  Rich- 
mond Theological  Seminary,  in  1890,  has  estab- 
lished twenty-five  Sunday-schools,  and  has  baptized 
125  persons.  He  is  President  of  the  County  Sun- 
day-school Convention.  He  says : 

"  My  intellectual  aspirations  have  all  been  raised 
and  improved  by  my  Seminary  life.  I  am  only 
sorry  that  I  did  not  get  there  earlier,  and  that  I  did 
not  take  a  full  college  course.  The  Lord  has  greatly 
blessed  me  here,  and  I  am  very  grateful  for  it." 

Rev.  C.  G.  Robinson,  who  was  graduated  from 
the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary  in  1891,  writes 
from  News  Ferry,  Virginia,  December  15th,  1894 : 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          171 

"  The  Lord  has  helped  me  to  do  a  great  work 
here  that  shall  ever  remain  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people.  This  has  been  done  in  a  short  time  through 
much  self-denial  and  sacrifice.  The  place-  is  a  new 
one,  the  people  another  people.  My  salary  is  small, 
but  yet  I  live.  I  have  baptized  fifty  persons  since 
I  left  the  Seminary." 

Rev.  P.  H.  Callaham,  Society  Hill,  South  Caro- 
lina, who  was  graduated  from  Richmond  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  in  1892,  writes  under  date  of  March 
9th: 

"  I  have  built  two  churches.  I  have  baptized 
forty  persons.  My  residence  in  the  Seminary  con- 
firmed my  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  inspired  me 
with  a  constant  search  for  knowledge.  My  Semi- 
nary course  has  drawn  me  much  closer  to  the  peo- 
ple. We  have  a  school  in  connection  with  our 
church  work.  "We  are  doing  all  that  we  can  to 
push  on  the  cause  of  Christ." 

Rev.  J.  W.  Boykin,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
Clarksville,  Tennessee,  was  graduated  in  1892  with 
the  degree  of  B.  D.  He  writes : 

"  The  Seminary  has  been  a  great  blessing  to  me 
in  broadening  my  intellectual  horizon.  Spiritually, 
my  idea  of  worship  was  greatly  modified  and  im- 
proved. The  School  has  brought  me  nearer  to  the 
people.  I  have  baptized  twenty-three." 

Rev.  S.  W.  Bacote  was  graduated  in  1892  with 


172  HISTORY  OF  THE 

the  degree  of  B.  D.  In  August  of  the  same  year, 
he  became  pastor  of  the  Second  Baptist  Church, 
Marion,  Alabama.  He  has  baptized  about  forty 
persons,  and  has  paid  off  a  church  debt  of  $300. 
He  became  Principal  of  the  Marion  Baptist  Acad- 
emy in  1892.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Advisory 
Council  on  Religious  Congresses  in  connection  with 
the  World's  Fair  in  1893.  He  writes  : 

"  My  course  of  study  at  the  Seminary  has  drawn 
me  closer  to  the  people,  and  has  strengthened  me 
both  spiritually  and  intellectually." 

Rev.  W.  T.  Johnson,  B.  I).,  was  graduated  from 
the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary  in  1893.  He 
writes,  April  2d,  1894 : 

~""  Last  fall  I  conducted  a  meeting  here,  and  on 
the  first  Sunday  in  December  I  baptized  ninety- 
seven,  and  there  are  others  awaiting  baptism.  We 
are  undertaking  to  build  a  new  church  to  cost  $9,000. 
The  systematic  training  which  I  received  at  the 
Seminary  in  the  line  of  work  and  study,  has  ena- 
bled me  to  have  perfect  control  of  my  present  situ- 
ation. The  influence  of  the  Seminary  upon  my 
ministerial  life  is  far  beyond  my  comprehension  or 
estimation.  I  am  grateful  to  God,  and  to  the  Pres- 
ident and  Faculty  of  the  Institution  for  the  benefits 
that  have  come  to  me  already." 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         173 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Our  Teachers — Sketches  of  Our  Present  Professors — 
Special  Lectures —  Occasional  Lectures — Distinguished 
Visitors — Need  of  Endowment — Funds  Secured — At- 
tempted Removal. 

here  give  a  list  of  the  teachers  from  the 
commencement  of  the  School  until  the  pres- 
ent time. 

TEACHERS  FROM  1867  TO  1895. 

REV.  NATHANIEL  COLVER,  D.  D.,  President 1867-1868 

REV.  ROBERT  RYLAND,  D.  D.  Associate 1867-1868 

REV.  C.  H.  COREY,  A.  M.,  D.  D.,  President 1868- 

Miss  H.  W.  GOODMAN,  Associate 1868-1872 

MR.  STERLING  GARDNER,  Associate 1872-1873 

REV.  S.  J.  NEILEY,  A.  M.,  Associate 1873-1874 

MR.  STERLING  GARDNER,  A.  B.,  Associate 1875-1876 

PROF.  GEORGE  A.  MINOR,  Musical  Director 1875-1881 

REV.  J.  ENDOM  JONES,  A.  M.,  D.  D.,  Professor 1876- 

REV.  D.  N.  VASSAR,  A.  M.,  D.  D.,  Professor 1877- . . . . 

Miss  J.  J.  TURPIN,  Associate 1880-1883 

MRS.  B.  A.  CLEMENTS,  Musical  Instructor 1881-1885 

ERNEST  ALBERT  COREY,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  Professor 1882-1885 

Miss  MARIE  E.  ANDERSON,  Associate 1883-1884 

REV.  NAHUM  HINES,  A.  M.  Professor 1884-1887 

GEO.  R.  HOVEY,  A.  M.,  Professor 1887- . . . . 

While  they  were  students  of  the  Institution,  the 
following  persons  held  commissions  from  the  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  as  assistant 


174  HISTORY  OF  THE 

teachers:  Isaac  T.  Armistead,  William  Cousins, 
Joseph  E.  Jones,  B.  J.  Medley,  Andrew  II.  Cum- 
ber, Howard  B.  Bunts,  Henry  H.  Johnson  and 
Charles  J.  Daniel. 

A  number  of  other  pupils  have  served  acceptably 
as  teachers,  from  time  to  time,  being  appointed  for 
this  service  by  the  Faculty. 

PROFESSOR  JOSEPH  ENDOM  JONES,  D.  D. 

Joseph  E.  Jones  was  born  of  slave  parents  in 
the  city  of  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  October  15th, 
1850.  He  continued  a  slave  until  the  surrender. 
Against  the  most  earnest  protestations  of  his  mother 
he  was  put  to  work  in  a  tobacco  factory  when  he 
was  not  more  than  six  years  of  age.  At  this  par- 
ticular period  of  the  country's  history  the  question 
of  human  slavery  was  agitating  the  minds  of  the 
people  from  Maine  to  the  Gulf.  The  Southern 
States  deemed  it  expedient  to  enact  some  very 
stringent  laws  with  respect  to  the  Negro.  There- 
fore, the  State  of  Virginia  passed  laws  that  pro- 
hibited anyone  from  teaching  Negroes  how  to  read 
and  write,  and  if  anyone  was  caught  violating  this 
law  he  would  be  imprisoned.  The  mother  of 
Joseph  believed  with  all  her  heart  that  the  time 
would  come  when  the  colored  people  would  be 
liberated.  This  idea  so  possessed  her  that  she  de- 
termined to  have  her  son  taught  to  read  and  write. 
She  secured  a  man  who  was  owned  by  the  same 
family  as  herself  to  instruct  her  boy.  This  man 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         175 

came  several  nights  each  week  to  give  him  lessons. 
At  this  time — during  the  year  1864 — things  were 
in  a  desperate  state  in  the  South.  Joseph's  teacher 
soon  began  to  think  that  he  was  running  too  much 
risk  to  give  lessons  at  the  boy's  home,  and  he  de- 
cided that  it  was  not  wise  for  him  to  continue. 
However,  after  some  reflection,  it  was  decided  that 
the  pupil  should  go  once  a  week  to  the  room  of  the 
teacher.  The  time  fixed  upon  was  Sunday  morn- 
ing, between  the  hours  of  ten  and  twelve.  The 
white  people  usually  spent  this  time  at  church, 
hence  the  selection.  Later  in  the  same  year  his 
mother  secured  the  services  of  a  sick  Confederate 
soldier  to  teach  him.  The  pay  the  teacher  received 
was,  something  to  eat.  The  instruction  of  this  man 
was  cut  short  by  the  surrender  of  General  Lee. 
Immediately  after  the  surrender,  young  Jones' 
mother  placed  him  in  a  private  school  that  had 
been  opened  by  his  first  teacher,  the  late  R.  A.  Per- 
kins. When  he  commenced  school  after  the  sur- 
render, his  progress  was  very  marked.  He  continued 
in  this  school  two  years.  The  most  of  the  time  he 
stood  at  the  head  of  his  class.  The  following 
winter  he  spent  as  a  pupil  in  a  private  school  taught 
by  J.  M.  Gregory,  now  a  Professor  in  Howard  Uni- 
versity, Washington,  District  of  Columbia,  and  he 
was  one  of  the  best  scholars  in  this  school.  In  the 
spring  of  1868,  Joseph  was  baptized,  and  connected 
himself  with  the  Court  Street  Baptist  Church,  of 
the  city  of  Lynchburg,  Virginia.  October  6th, 


176  HISTORY  OF  THE 

1868,  he  entered  the  Colver  Institute,  now  Rich- 
mond Theological  Seminary,  with  a  view  of  pre- 
paring himself  for  the  Gospel  Ministry.  He  spent 
three  years  here,  taking  the  academic  and  theologi- 
cal studies  then  taught.  April,  1871.  he  left  Vir- 
ginia for  Hamilton,  New  York,  and  entered  the 
preparatory  department  of  Madison  (now  Colgate) 
University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  June, 
1872.  The  following  fall  he  entered  the  university, 
and  after  a  successful  course  of  study,  was  gradu- 
ated, June,  1876.  The  same  year  the  American 
Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  of  New  York,  ap- 
pointed him  instructor  in  the  Richmond  Institute, 
and  entrusted  him  with  the  branches  of  language 
and  philosophy.  In  1877,  he  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry.  In  1879,  his  alma  mater  conferred  upon 
him  the  Degree  of  Master  of  Arts  "  in  course." 
After  Richmond  Institute  was  changed  to  Rich- 
mond Theological  Seminary,  Professor  Jones  oc- 
cupied the  chair  of  Homiletics  and  Greek  Testament. 
He  is  now  Professor  of  Homiletics  and  English 
Interpretation.  He  not  only  performs  well  his 
work  in  the  class-room,  but  takes  an  active  part  in 
all  denominational  movements,  as  well  as  other 
questions  relating  to  the  welfare  of  his  people.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Educational  Board  of  the  Vir- 
ginia Baptist  State  Convention.  November,  1883, 
Professor  Jones  was  elected  Corresponding  Secre- 
tary of  the  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Convention  of 
the  United  States  of  America.  He  served  in  this 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         177 

position  until  September,  1893.  He  was  six  years 
President  of  the  Virginia  Baptist  State  Sunday- 
School  Convention.  He  has  corresponded  con- 
siderably for  newspapers.  He  has  had  the  pastoral 
care  of  a  small  church  in  the  county  of  Chester- 
field for  about  two  years  and  a  half.  During  this 
time  he  has  baptized  fifty  persons.  The  Degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  on  him  by  Selma 
University. 

The  Religious  Herald,  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  in 
speaking  of  the  Professor,  says  :  "  Professor  Jones 
is  one  of  the  most  gifted  colored  men  in  America. 
Besides  being  Professor  in  Richmond  Theological 
Seminary,  he  is  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the 
Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Convention.  He  has  the 
ear  and  heart  of  his  people,  and  fills  with  distinc- 
tion the  high  position  to  which  his  brethren  North 
and  South  have  called  him." 

In  June,  1880,  he  was  requested  to  speak  before 
the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  at  its 
anniversary  at  Saratoga,  New  York,  on,  "The 
Needs  and  Desire  of  the  Colored  People  for  these 
Schools." 

The  Examiner,  of  New  York,  in  commenting  on 
the  address,  said  :  "  Mr.  Jones  is  a  young  colored 
man,  prepossessing  in  appearance  and  manners, 
and  his  address  would  have  been  creditable  to  any 
white  graduate  of  any  Northern  college.  It  was 
sensible,  witty,  and  eloquent." 

A    writer,    in    the    Baptist    Encyclopaedia,   says : 


178  HISTORY  OF  THE 

"  Professor  Jones  is  an  efficient  teacher,  a  popular 
and  instructive  preacher,  and  a  forcible  writer.  In 
1878  he  held  a  newspaper  controversy  with  the 
Roman  Catholic  Bishop  Keane,  of  Richmond,  in 
which  the  Bishop,  in  the  estimation  of  many  most 
competent  to  judge,  was  worsted." 

Dr.  William  J.  Simmons  says :  "In  following 
the  career  of  Professor  Joseph  Endom  Jones,  and 
observing  and  marking  the  changes  in  it,  Ave  can 
but  say  that  it  was  simply  marvelous.  It  must 
have  been  divinely  ordered  and  superintended." 

PROFESSOR  DAVID  NATHANIEL  VASSAR,  D.  D. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Bedford 
county,  Virginia,  December  5th,  1847.  When  three 
years  of  age  he  was  stolen  from  his  mother  and 
sold  into  slavery,  for  he  was  born  free.  The  man 
who  did  the  deed  was  punished  for  his  crime.  He 
grew  up  in  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  working  at  the 
barber's  trade.  He  learned  to  read  by  studying  the 
signs  over  the  doors  of  the  merchants  of  Lynchburg. 
In  1868  he  entered  the  Colver  Institute,  and  being 
an  apt  pupil,  met  with  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  teach- 
ers. In  1871  he  attended  the  Academy  of  Madison 
University,  and  in  1877,  he  was  graduated  from 
the  College  Department  with  the  Degree  of  B.  A. 
When  he  graduated,  he  was  at  once  chosen  Pro- 
fessor of  Natural  Science  and  Mathematics  in  Rich- 
mond Institute,  in  recognition  of  his  ability  and 
learning.  In  1880,  Madison  (now  Colgate)  Univer- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         179 

sity  conferred  on  him  the  Degree  of  A.  M.  "in 
course."  In  the  year  1892,  Shaw  University,  of 
Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  conferred  upon  him  the 
honorary  Degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  For  thirteen 
years  he  has  been  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church, 
of  Louisa,  Virginia,  and  has  there  baptized  800 
persons.  He  was  elected  Moderator  of  the  Shiloh 
Baptist  Association  and  served  acceptably  for  two 
years.  At  present  he  is  Treasurer  of  the  Virginia 
Baptist  State  Convention,  Treasurer  of  the  National 
Foreign  Mission  Convention  of  the  United  States, 
and  a  trustee  of  Virginia  Seminary. 

The  most  important  work  of  his  life  is  his  career 
as  Professor  of  Biblical  Introduction  and  Church 
History  in  the  Richmond  Theological  Seminary,  in 
which  place  he  has  left  his  impress  upon  the  scores 
of  students  who  have  been  under  his  instruction. 

Professor  Vassar  is  noted  for  his  strong  will,  his 
exalted  character,  and  his  tender  heart,  and  he  is 
a  great  blessing  to  his  race,  and  a  worthy  example  to 
be  followed. 

PROFESSOR  GEORGE  RICE  HOVEY,  A.  M. 

Professor  Hovey  was  born  January  17th,  1860, 
at  Newton  Center,  Massachusetts,  an  attractive 
suburb  of  Boston.  He  is  of  sturdy  New  England 
parentage.  His  father,  Alvah  Hovey,  D.  D.,  LL. 
D.,  is  one  of  the  most  distinguished  Baptist  theo- 
logians, educators,  and  writers.  His  mother  has 
been  prominent  in  organizing  and  carrying  on  the 


180  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Woman's  Baptist  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  a 
mission  school,  hospital  work,  and  other  good  enter- 
prises. Professor  Hovey  is  the  oldest  of  four  chil- 
dren. He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Newton,  and  fitted  for  college  at  the  Newton  High 
School.  He  was  graduated  from  Brown  University 
in  1882,  having,  during  his  college  course,  enjoyed 
athletics  as  well  as  study.  He  took  prizes  in  Latin 
and  Greek,  and  was  graduated  with  high  honors. 
Entering  Newton  Theological  Institute  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1885,  and  spent  a  fourth  year  in  post-grad- 
uate work.  He  served  as  acting  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  Church  in  Harrison,  Maine,  six  months 
during  the  winter  of  1886-7.  For  several  summers 
he  attended  Professor  W.  R.  Harper's  Summer 
School  of  Hebrew  as  a  student;  and  as  an  instruc- 
tor at  New  Haven  in  1885,  and  in  Newton  in  1886. 
He  was  married  in  1890  to  Miss  Clara  K.  Brewer. 
He  came  to  Richmond  Theological  Seminary  in  the 
fall  of  1887.  He  has,  while  here,  shown  special 
interest  in  the  library,  raising  above  $3,000  as  a 
fund  for  its  use.  and  cataloging  it  by  the  most  ap- 
proved system.  He  has  assisted  in  developing  the 
high  course  of  study  now  offered  here,  and  espe- 
cially in  laying  out  the  reading  courses.  For  two 
years  he  did  a  large  part  of  the  editing  of  the  Semi- 
nary Monthly.  He  has  taken  much  interest  in  the  work 
of  the  colored  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
instructing,  weekly,  a  class  of  teachers  in  the  Sun- 
day-school lesson.  His  voice  has  often  been  heard 


PROF.  D.  N.  VASSAR,  D.  D. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          181 

in  the  temperance  cause  in  the  churches  of  the  city. 
He  is  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  columns  of  the 
Watchman.  He  also  furnished  a  sermon  for  each  of 
the  two  volumes  on  the  Sunday-school  lessons  edi- 
ted by  President  E.  B.  Andrews.  His  chief  work, 
however,  has  been  in  his  departments  of  Greek  and 
Hebrew  Interpretation,  in  which  he  tries  to  give 
courses  fully  equal  to  those  in  Northern  seminaries. 
Professor  Hovey  is  an  enthusiastic  and  conscien- 
tious teacher.  His  abilities  as  a  scholar  and  writer 
command  the  respect  of  his  acquaintances ;  and  he 
is  justly  entitled  to  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  is 
held  by  all. 

In  order  to  carry  out  more  fully  the  design  of  the 
patrons  of  the  Institution,  special  courses  of  lec- 
tures have  been  delivered  to  the  students  on  subjects 
pertaining  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  from  time 
to  time.  These  lecturers  have  been :  Marseria 
Stone.  D.  D.,  formerly  Professor  in  Dennison  Uni- 
versity;  W.  W.  Everts,  D.  D.,  Chicago,  Illinois; 
Alvah  Hovey,  D.  D.,  LL.D.,  President  of  Newton 
Theological  Institution,  and  E.  G.  Robinson,  D.  D., 
LL.D.,  formerly  President  of  Rochester  Theological 
Seminary,  and  subsequently  President  of  Brown 
University. 

In  addition  to  these  courses  of  lectures,  distin- 
guished men  in  our  city,  and  noted  preachers  from 
various  parts  of  this  country  and  from  abroad,  have 
favored  our  students  with  highly  instructive  and 


182  HISTORY  OF  THE 

profitable  discourses.  The  brief  addresses  of  the  dis- 
tinguished Dean  Ilowson,  of  Chester,  England,  and 
of  Dr.  Henry  Grattan  Guinness,  of  London,  will 
never  be  forgotten. 

We  have  had  visits  from  distinguished  statesmen 
of  our  own  country,  of  Canada  and  of  Great  Britain. 

The  importance  of  securing  an  endowment  was 
recognized  by  the  friends  of  the  School  at  an  early 
day.  To  them  it  seemed  to  be  an  endowment  or  death. 
Dr.  T.  J.  Conant,  the  distinguished  Biblical  transla- 
tor, in  writing  to  a  friend,  gives  his  experience  : 

"  I  have  spent  thirty-two  years  in  the  service  of 
our  denomination,  as  a  teacher  in  its  colleges  and 
theological  seminaries.  My  salary  after  the  first 
two  years  was  never  sufficient  to  cover  the  very 
moderate  expenses  of  my  household.  I  seldom 
knew  the  luxury  of  freedom  from  debt.  During 
those  thirty-two  years,  more  than  twenty  thousand 
dollars  of  money,  which  came  to  me  from  my 
father,  was  thus  expended  in  the  struggle  to  sustain 
my  family,  in  the  service  of  an  unendowed  institu- 
tion." 

Our  students,  in  order  to  show  their  interest  in 
securing  an  endowment,  paid  more  than  $1,000  to- 
wards it. 

It  is  stated  on  page  36  that  Dr.  Lathrop  and  J. 
B.  Hoyt  visited  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in 
1865 ;  and  on  page  104,  is  an  account  of  an  inter- 
view with  the  latter,  at  his  home,  in  1884.  Secre- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          183 

tary  H.  L.  Morehouse,  on   the  same  page,  states 
what  followed. 

We  have  now  the  following  PROFESSORSHIPS  and 
SCHOLARSHIPS  fully  or  partially  endowed: 

THE  J.  B.  HOYT  FUND,  Chair  of  Church 

History,  $25,000  00 

THE  JOHN  D.  ROCKEFELLER  FUND,  Chair 

of  Biblical  Theology,  25,000  00 

THE  UNION  PROFESSORSHIP,  Chair  of 

Biblical  Interpretation,  -  -  6,917  41 

SCHOLARSHIPS. 

The  following  "Funds"  have  been  established, 
and  the  income  from  them  is  to  be  used  in  helping 
needy  students : 

The  Emily  C.  S.  Colby  Fund,  $  500  00 

The  Susan  C.  Reed  Scholarship,  Estab- 
lished by  Dr.  K  Colver's  daughter,     1,000  00 
Ths  Rev.  C.  W.  Waterhouse  Scholarship,     1,000  00 
The  Lydia  S.  Tolman  Fund,  In  Memory 
.     of  Mrs.    Lydia   S.   Tolman,  Lynn, 

Mass.,  -  1,400  00 

LIBRARY  FUND. 

This  Fund  now  amounts  to  $3,120  50. 

In  addition  to  this  there  is  available  the  income 
of  $1,000,  until  such  time  as  the  principal  may  be 
needed  for  its  designated  purpose. 

The  BUILDING  FUND  is  $12,669.24  in  cash,  and 
ten  shares  of  railroad  stock. 


184  HISTORY  OF  THE 

THE  D.  HENRY  SHELDON  LOAN  FUND. 

This  fund  of  $100  is  given  that  it  may  be  lent 
temporarily  to  needy  students. 

In  1894  a  suggestion  was  made  that  it  might  he 
desirable  to  remove  the  Seminary  to  Atlanta, 
Georgia.  Some  very  strong  reasons  were  urged  in 
favor  of  such  a  course.  The  matter  was  very 
thoroughly  discussed  by  the  friends  of  theological 
education.  While  the  discussion  was  thorough  and 
exhaustive  on  both  sides,  it  was  conducted  in  the 
most  friendly  manner,  the  desire  of  all  being  to 
ascertain  what,  upon  the  whole,  was  best  for  the 
colored  Baptists  of  the  South.  It  was  decided, 
however,  that  it  would  be  both  unwise  and  imprac- 
ticable to  undertake  to  remove  the  Seminary  from 
Virginia.  The  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the 
American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  Dr.  T.  J. 
Morgan,  writes,  December  llth,  1894 : 

"  I  think  that  no  further  steps  will  be  taken  at 
all  looking  to  the  removal ;  that  matter  may  be  re- 
garded as  settled.  *  *  *  *  We  have  found 
that  it  is  impossible  to  move  the  Seminary." 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          185 


CHAPTKR  XIII. 


The  Old  African  Church — A  Historic  Building — Its 
Religious  History — Dr.  Roland's  Pastorate — Pasto- 
rate of  Rev.  James  H.  Holmes. 

7TS  the  first  work  in  Richmond  for  colored 
®^  •*•  preachers  was  commenced  in  the  old  African 
Church,  and  as  it  was  so  intimately  connected  with 
much  of  the  past  history,  both  of  the  white  and 
colored  people  of  the  city,  it  seems  desirable  to  de- 
vote a  chapter  to  it. 

The  Richmond  Dispatch,  of  August,  1876,  con- 
tained a  number  of  interesting  letters  pertaining  to 
the  building.  From  these  letters,  which  were  after- 
wards published  in  pamphlet  form,  copious  extracts 
will  be  made. 

In  1802  the  First  Baptist  Church  erected  a  house 
of  worship  at  the  northeast  corner  of  H  or  Broad 
and  College  Streets.  Originally  the  building  was 
about  forty  by  forty  feet.  Subsequently  it  was  en- 
larged on  three  sides,  making  a  cruciform  building 
one  hundred  feet  by  seventy.  The  Richmond  Dis- 
patch, about  the  time  the  old  building  was  torn 
down,  in  1876,  published  the  articles  to  which 
reference  has  been  made,  and  says  : 

"  The  OLD  CHURCH  has  been  for  many  years  a 
land-mark,  and  in  the  minds  of  our  people  is  as- 


186  HISTORY  OF  THE 

sociated  with  happy  memories  of  by-gone  days,  and 
of  customs  that  have  been  swept  away  by  the  tide 
of  years  and  results  of  the  war.  When  its  founda- 
tion was  dug  and  its  corner-stone  laid,  Richmond 
was  but  a  country  town.  Its  streets  were  poorly 
graded,  and  only  in  a  few  instances  paved.  Where 
now  is  the  fashionable  and  brilliant  West  End  was 
then  a  forest. 

"  Main  Street,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Old 
Market,  monopolized  much  of  the  business  of  the 
place,  while  the  upper  part  of  the  street  and  Broad 
Street  were  just  beginning  to  claim  some  attention 
by  stores  being  erected  here  and  there  upon  them. 

"The  Baptists,  now  a  denomination  of  immense 
number  in  the  State,  were  then  few  and  by  no 
means  possessed  of  the  influence  they  now  enjoy. 
The  old  church  soon  became  too  small  for  their 
needs,  and  was  passed  into  the  hands  of  trustees  for 
the  benefit  of  the  colored  people  of  that  denomina- 
tion. In  slave  times  the  congregations  were  always 
large.  Of  the  happy  and  peaceful  looking  flocks 
that  gathered  there  in  those  days ;  of  the  content 
that  sat  upon  their  countenances ;  and  of  their 
comfortable  appearance  and  respectful  demeanor, 
the  writer  of  Virginia  history  will  have  occasion  to 
speak.  In  the  old  church  worshipped  congrega- 
tions of  immense  size,  and  their  sacred  songs  were 
ever  an  attraction,  while  their  fervid  piety  and  ear- 
nest exhibition  of  religious  feeling  were  marked 
with  all  the  characteristics  of  the  race. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          187 

"  In  the  scarcity  of  public  halls  the  church  was 
often  used  for  public  meetings.  Democrats  and 
Whigs  held  conventions  and  had  rallies  there.  The 
old  walls,  now  soon  to  mingle  with  the  dust,  have 
echoed  the  eloquence  of  some  of  the  foremost  ora- 
tors that  Virginia  ever  produced. 

"  In  the  last  days  of  the  Confederacy,  when  star- 
vation and  battle  were  weakening  Lee's  army; 
when  the  smoke  from  the  enemy's  guns  was  daily 
wafted  into  the  city,  and  when  despair  was  seizing 
the  people,  a  grand  mass-meeting  was  called  at  the 
African  Church,  and  the  voices  of  Jefferson  Davis, 
Judah  P.  Benjamin,  and  other  orators  aroused  new 
zeal  and  inspired  fresh  hope  in  the  struggle,  and 
helped  to  postpone,  for  a  time,  the  inevitable  hour 
of  surrender.  * 

"As  a  place  of  entertainment  and  interest,  we 
may  say  that  the  old  African  Church  had  no  equal. 
Every  Northerner  who  came  to  see  Richmond  and 
its  many  features  of  interest  and  historic  note,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  visited  the  old  church.  Before 
the  war  the  singing  there  was  remarkably  fine,  and 
Sunday  was  generally  selected  for  the  visit. 

"As  a  place  of  amusement,  too,  it  has  some 
notoriety.  Ole  Bull  charmed  hundreds  of  Rich- 
mond people  in  days  gone  by,  and  it  was  there  that 
Tom  Thumb  was  greeted  when  he  first  commenced 
coming  to  Richmond.  Blind  Tom,  too,  we  believe, 
gave  some  of  his  performances  in  the  same  build- 
ing, both  during  and  after  the  war.  Our  citizens 


188  HISTORY  OF  THE 

will  also  remember  with  delight  that  they  heard 
Patti,  Sontag  and  Parodi  here,  and  it  was  with  no 
little  delight  that  the  writer  heard  Paul  Julien  play 
the  "  Carnival  of  Venice  "  on  one  string,  a  few 
years  after  the  signing  of  the  Declaration,  within 
these  classic  walls." 

Among  a  few  of  the  notable  men  who  addressed 
vast  auditories  from  the  platform  of  this  historic 
building,  may  be  mentioned  the  following : 

"  Governor  William  Smith,  Benjamin  Watkins 
Leigh,  John  Minor  Botts,  Henry  A.  Wise,  Tim. 
Rives,  John  Letcher,  Roger  A.  Pryor,  William  C. 
Rives,  R.  M.  T.  Hunter,  Geo.  W.  Randolph,  Judah 
P.  Benjamin,  Jefterson  Davis,  Patrick  Henry  Aylett, 
John  Tyler,  Briscoe  G.  Baldwin,  and  John  B. 
Baldwin.  * 

"  Not  least  among  the  historic  reminiscences  of 
this  old  building  is  the  famous  meeting  that  took 
place  in  1864,  just  after  the  noted  peace  conference 
at  Fortress  Monroe.  Our  people  did  not  know  how 
sick  they  were;  the  soldiers,  though  starving,  were 
dreaming  of  better  rations  for  the  future,  and  our 
cause  was  generally  lacking  of  that  vitality  that 
betokens  success.  One  of  the  grandest  meetings 
ever  held  in  Richmond  was  held  in  the  church. 

"  Stirring  addresses  were  delivered  by  President 
Davis,  Judah  P.  Benjamin,  and  other  notables, 
which  led  many  of  our  staid  citizens  to  invest  much 
of  their  earnings  in  Confederate  States  bonds,  and 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          189 

many  of  our  ladies  to  put  down  on  the  platform 
their  much-cherished  jewels.  It  was  a  scene  well 
worth}7  of  the  worn  traditions  of  Sparta,  for  many 
of  our  ladies  took  off  their  breast-pins  and  brace- 
lets and  deposited  them  upon  the  table  before  the 
speaker.  This  was  the  last  meeting  ever  held  in 
Richmond  under  Confederate  auspices." 

From  the  Richmond  Dispatch  of  August  17th, 
1876,  we  have  the  following : 

"  When  the  war  was  about  fairly  commenced,  a 
number  of  persons  from  the  Cockade  City  came 
over  to  Richmond,  and  headed  by  General  Roger 
A.  Pyor,  they  went  to  the  old  church,  where  an 
improvised  meeting  was  held.  The  church  was 
soon  thronged.  The  Petersburgers  had  the  '  stars 
and  bars'  at  the  head  of  their  column,  and  this 
was  probably  the  first  occasion  upon  which  the 
Confederate  flag  was  displayed  in  Richmond.  It 
was. upon  that  memorable  night  that  Pryor  fairly 
fired  the  Southern  heart  with  his  great  speech. 
Many  persons  who  bitterly  opposed  even  the  thought 
of  war  were  changed  in  sentiment,  and  the  meeting 
soon  became  one  of  the  wildest  enthusiasm.  John 
Minor  Botts  was  holding  forth  the  same  night  at 
the  old  Metropolitan  Hall,  and  it  was  upon  that 
occasion  that  Mr.  Botts  predicted  in  his  speech 
what  afterwards  came  true  concerning  the  war. 

"  The  reputation  of  many  local  orators  was  formed 
in  the  African  Church.  Colonel  Marmaduke  John- 


190  HISTORY  OF  THE 

son  and  Colonel  Thomas  P.  August  frequently 
spoke  there.  But  what  we  started  to  write  was 
that  E.  Z.  C.  Judson,  alias  Ned  Buntline,  thundered 
in  the  old  church  in  behalf  of  the  American  Order, 
which  was  the  prelude  to  the  '  Know-Nothings.' 

"  It  is  stated  upon  good  authority  that  when  the 
old  theatre  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1811,  the  Afri- 
can Church  was  used  as  a  receptacle  for  the  dead 
and  wounded.  The  negroes  assembled  at  the 
church,  and  sang  and  prayed  during  the  fire,  and 
they  claimed  that  their  church  was  saved  from  de- 
struction by  their  prayers. 

"  The  prices  paid  for  the  hire  of  the  building 
were  sometimes  high.  The  first  year  of  the  war, 
and  even  before  that  time,  it  was  not  an  uncommon 
thing  for  twenty-five  dollars  to  be  paid  for  the  use 
of  the  house  just  for  one  night." 

A  correspondent  in  the  Richmond  Dispatch,  of 
the  17th  of  August,  1876,  contributes  the  following : 

"  J)uring  the  winter  of  1864,  one  of  Lee's  vete- 
rans, from  the  rural  districts,  who  had  been  imbi- 
bing rather  freely  of  apple-jack  ($20  per  canteen, 
Confederate  currency),  chanced  to  be  in  the  city, 
'  running  the  blockade '  from  the  home-guard 
pickets.  On  his  way  back  to  camp  he  strolled  into 
the  African  Church  for  the  sake  of  getting  warm, 
and  comfortably  seated  himself  in  a  pew  convenient 
to  the  stove.  One  of  the  elder  brethren  was  ex- 
horting the  congregation  at  the  time  from  the  para- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          191 

ble  in  Scripture  where  the  sheep  and  the  goats  were 
prominent  in  his  argument.  He  was  portraying  in 
vivid  language  the  terrors  of  the  great  judgment- 
day,  and  impressing  upon  his  hearers  that  the  saved 
would  be  among  the  sheep  and  the  lost  among  the 
goats.  '  On  dat  day,  dear  breddern,'  said  he,  '  de 
sheep  will  be  on  de  one  side  and  de  goats  on  de 
udder,  and  I  piously  hopes  dere  will  be  lots  of  sheep 
from  this  fold.  But,'  with  a  pause  for  effect,  'who 
will  be  de  goat  ? '  After  an  impressive  pause  he 
repeated  in  louder  tones :  '  I  say,  breddern,  on 
dat  great  day  ivho'll  be  de  goat  ? '  Another  im- 
pressive pause  and  silence  everywhere.  About  this 
time  the  old  Confederate  began  to  rustle  about  in 
his  seat,  and  simultaneously  the  ominous  voice 
came  from  the  pulpit,  '  Who'll  be  de  goat  f  The 
imbibing  rebel,  drawing  himself  up  as  straight  as 
he  could  from  his  seat,  shouted  out,  '  See  here — 
hie — mister,  sooner  than  see — hie — this  thing  play 
out — hie — I'LL  BE  DE  GOAT.'  The  effect  of  this  un- 
expected response  is  left  to  the  imagination  of  the 

Y*fi  '1  M  O  K* 

"No  scene  of  transformation  could  be  more  com- 
plete than  that  presented  within  the  walls  of  this 
old  and  historic  building  since  the  war.  We  had 
seen  during  those  dark  days  such  men  as  Davis, 
Toombs,  Yancey,  Benjamin,  and  others,  '  firing  the 
Southern  heart,'  and  when  the  smoke  of  the  battle 
had  cleared  away  what  was  to  be  seen  ?  an  assem- 
blage of  our  former  slaves — the  first  ever  held  in 


192  HISTORY  OF  THE 

the  South.  They  had  been  invested  with  all  the 
rights  of  citizenship,  and  spoke  with  an  assurance 
that  would  indicate  that  they  had  owned  the  land 
since  the  days  of  their  birth.  Among  the  men 
who  spoke  to  them  in  their  gatherings  were  Horace 
Greeley,  Gerritt  Smith,  Henry  Wilson,  General  O. 
O.  Howard,  Judge  Underwood,  and  others  whose 
names  are  prominent  in  the  history  of  Southern 
reconstruction." 

George  W.  Smith  says  in  the  Dispatch  of  August 
18th,  1876: 

"Allow  me  space  in  your  columns  to  make  an 
addendum  to  the  history  of  the  old  African  Church, 
which  appeared  in  yesterday's  Dispatch — viz  :  That 
at  an  early  day  of  the  month  of  April,  1861,  the 
largest  meeting  ever  held  in  that  church  took  place 
in  behalf  of  the  Union,  the  Constitution,  and  the 
Enforcement  of  the  Laws. 

"  I  had  the  honor  to  preside  at  that  meeting. 
Such  men  as  Waitman  T.  Willey,  of  Monongahela 
county;  John  A.  Campbell,  of  Washington  county; 
and  the  late  Geo.  W.  Summers,  of  Kanavvha 
county — all  of  them  being  members  of  the  State 
Convention  or  of  the  Legislature,  both  bodies  then 
being  in  session  in  this  city — made  able  and  elo- 
quent addresses  to  the  large  audience  in  behalf  of 
the  Union." 

In  the  year  1841  the  white  people  built  a  new 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          193 

church  on  the  corner  of  Twelfth  and  Broad  Streets. 
Dr.  Robert  Ryland,  then  connected  with  Richmond 
College,  took  pastoral  charge  of  the  colored  church, 
in  1841.  The  church  paid  him  a  salary  of  $500 
per  annum.  I  am  indebted  to  an  address  delivered 
by  Dr.  Ryland  at  the  celebration  of  the  the  close  of 
the  first  century  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  for 
some  interesting  statements.  He  says  : 

"  The  colored  brethren  were  informed  that  they 
could  occupy  the  old  house  as  soon  as  it  should  be 
vacated  by  the  whites,  and  that,  on  their  payment 
of  $4,500,  which  they  thought  they  could  raise,  the 
property  should  be  deeded  to  trustees,  to  be  held 
by  them  for  the  exclusive  and  perpetual  use  of  the 
First  African  Church.  Both  these  pledges  were 
redeemed,  and  in  the  year  1849  the  property  was 
conveyed  to  its  present  incumbents,  who  had  paid 
$5,000.19,  principal  and  interest.  * 

"  It  had  long  been  the  habit  of  many  of  the  at- 
tendants to  come  late  to  meeting.  This  habit  was 
not  only  hurtful  to  those  who  indulged  it,  but  it 
disturbed  the  quietness  of  the  audience  and  inter- 
rupted the  preaching.  At  first  the  pastor  thought 
that  the  employers  might  have  detained  their  house 
servants  so  long,  as  to  prevent  their  reaching  the 
sanctuary  in  time.  On  inquiry,  he  found  that  most 
of  the  families  who  permitted  their  servants  to 
come  at  all,  allowed  them  ample  time  to  secure 
punctuality.  Tie  found,  moreover,  that  when  there 


194  HISTORY  OF  THE 

was  a  marriage  to  be  solemnized,  or  something 
amusing  to  be  exhibited,  everybody  was  in  time. 
After  trying  by  moral  suasion,  very  urgently,  but 
in  vain  for  several  years,  to  break  up  this  annoy- 
ance, he  induced  the  deacons  to  pass  an  order  that 
the  church-yard  gates  should  be  locked  forty-live 
minutes  after  the  time  to  begin  worship,  so  as  to 
exclude  incomers  after  the  sermon  began.  This 
measure  seemed  harsh,  but  its  effect  was  most  salu- 
tary. Very  few  were  really  kept  out,  and  loiterers 
were  taught  a  valuable  lesson.  The  evil  being,  to 
a  great  degree  corrected,  the  rule  was,  after  six 
months,  suspended.  * 

"  There  were  usually  at  our  College  some  twenty 
or  twenty-five  young  men,  studying  for  the  minis- 
try. And,  like  theologians,  generally,  most  of  them 
were  not  burdened  with  money.  Partly  to  help 
their  pockets  and  partly  to  improve  their  gifts,  as 
well  as  to  get  assistance  in  his  arduous  work,  the 
pastor  often  invited  these  young  men  to  officiate  for 
him  in  the  afternoon.  At  the  close  of  a  sermon  by 
one  of  these,  Deacon  Simms,  an  excellent  man,  was 
requested  to  follow  with  prayer.  He  offered  up  a 
devout  petition  to  God  for  His  blessing  on  the  truths 
just  delivered,  and  for  large  grace  '  on  our  stripling 
young  brother  that  is  trying  to  learn  how  to  preach.' 

"  The  good  order  of  the  congregation  was  re- 
markable— for  its  size,  it  was  wonderful.  During 
the  twenty-four  years  of  his  ministry  among  them, 
the  pastor  did  not  see  a  single  instance  of  a  group 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         195 

of  persons,  young  or  old,  engaged  in  talking  and 
laughing  during  public  worship. 

"  It  is  a  misconception  of  the  African  race,  which 
many  Anglo-Saxons  cherish,  that  all  negroes  are  alike. 
While  the  whole  human  family  are  depraved,  and 
the  sameness  of  condition,  surrounding  a  particular 
tribe,  will  impress  on  it  a  peculiar  type  of  charac- 
ter, still  there  is  as  much  individuality — as  much 
variety  of  intellectual  and  moral  temperament — 
among  the  negroes  as  there  is  among  persons  of 
any  other  race.  I  have  witnessed  as  bright  exam- 
ples of  godliness,  of  disinterested  kindness,  of  real 
gentility  of  manner,  and  of  native  mental  shrewd- 
ness among  them  as  among  other  people.  Many 
of  the  old  men  and  matrons  were  brought  up  in  the 
best  families,  and  understood  all  the  proprieties  of 
life.  Their  manners  were  polished,  and  their  prin- 
ciples correct.  This,  to  a  partial  extent,  was  true 
of  some  of  the  young  people  of  both  sexes.  Say 
you  this  was  the  result  of  imitation  ?  Very  well. 
And  do  not  our  children  get  all  their  refinement  by 
imitation  ?  * 

"  One  of  my  members  went  on  a  certain  occasion 
to  hear  a  learned  gentleman,  then  a  pastor  of  this 
city.  I  do  not  vouch  for  the  justness  of  the  criti- 
cism, but,  being  asked  how  he  liked  the  sermon,  he 
said  :  '  He  preaches  too  much  out  of  the  dictionary.' 

"From  October  1st,  1841,  to  July  1st,  1865,  the 
additions  by  baptism  to  the  First  African  Church 
were  3,832.  Of  this  number  no  larger  a  proportion 


106  HISTORY  OF  THE 

fell  away  from  the  belief  and  practice  of  the  truth, 
than  is  usual  in  our  average  churches." 

It  may  be  interesting  to  know  that  the  Richmond 
Missionary  Society  was  formed  in  the  year  1815,  in 
this  church,  with  the  sole  purpose  of  sending  mis- 
sionaries to  Africa.  In  January,  1821,  Lott  Carey 
and  Colin  Teague,  members  of  this  church,  sailed 
writh'a  number  of  colonists  for  Africa.  In  the  ab- 
sence of  the  Governor  of  Liberia,  the  entire  gov- 
ernment of  the  colony  devolved  on  Lott  Carey. 
He  was  considered  one  of  the  most  gifted  colored 
men  of  his  time. 

The  present  pastor  of  the  church  is  Rev.  James 
H.  Holmes.  When  he  took  charge  of  the  church  in 
August,  1867,  the  membership  was  about  4,000. 
In  1870,  it  numbered  4,683.  During  1870-71,  the 
names  of  2,200  persons  who  failed  to  respond  to  a 
call  for  a  new  enrollment,  were  dropped.  There 
\vere  left  2,400  in  1871.  In  the  great  revival  of 
1878  the  writer  was  present,  and  saw  the  pastor 
immerse  598  in  three  hours.  Again  in  June,  1894, 
the  pastor  immersed  245  in  one  hour.  During  the 
twenty-eight  years  of  Mr.  Holmes'  pastorate,  he 
has  baptized  nearly  6,000  persons.  On  one  occa- 
sion more  than  a  thousand  went  out  and  formed  a 
new  church. 

Rev.  Mr.  Holmes  was  a  pupil  in  the  School  in  its 
early  history.  He  could  be  seen  daily  going  along  the 
streets  of  the  city  with  his  books  under  his  arm, 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         197 

though  at  that  time  he  was  pastor  of  the  largest 
Protestant  Church  in  the  world.  He  and  Rev. 
Richard  Wells,  the  beloved  pastor  of  the  Ebenezer 
Baptist  Church,  and  later  Rev.  Evans  Payne,  the 
more  youthful,  but  equally  energetic  pastor  of  the 
Fourth  Baptist  Church,  for  several  years  were  ear- 
nest students  in  the  Institution,  though  each  had  a 
large  church,  numbering  many  hundreds,  under 
his  care.  Brother  Holmes  often  refers  to  an  occa- 
sion under  the  old  regime,  when  he,  as  a  violator 
of  the  law,  had  to  suffer  its  extreme  penalty.  One 
of  the  city  ordinances  made  it  unlawful  for  more 
than  five  colored  people  to  be  assembled  without 
the  presence  of  a  white  man.  One  Sunday  morn- 
ing, instead  of  going  home  from  prayer-meeting, 
he  attended  a  wedding  breakfast,  at  the  earnest  en- 
treaty of  his  wife.  While  engaged  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  meal  the  officers  of  the  law  came  upon 
them,  and  they  were  all  arrested.  On  the  following 
morning  he  was  publicly  flogged  in  due  and  ap- 
proved form,  and  his  wife  was  fined  five  dollars. 
Mr.  Holmes  thinks  this  another  instance  in  which 
a  woman's  influence  led  to  a  man's  humiliation. 

The  cost  of  the  new  church  edifice  built  by  Pas- 
tor Holmes  and  his  people  was  $35,000. 


108  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


The  Slave  as  a  Man — As  a  Christian — As  a  Soldier — 
As  a  Free  Man — Statistics. 

JHIIE  writer  was  not  acquainted  with  the  colored 
^  man  as  a  slave.  But  he  has  heard  much  of  the 
fidelity  of  slaves  to  their  masters,  and  of  the  regard 
in  which  some  were  held  by  their  old  owners.  Dr. 
John  A.  Broadus,  in  his  Commentary  on  the  Gospel 
of  Matthew,  says :  "A  '  Confederate '  officer  and 
the  slave  who  attended  him  in  camp  would  often 
risk  their  lives  for  each  other,  while  his  other  slaves 
at  home  took  the  most  faithful  care  of  his  wife  and 
his  children." 

It  will  remain  always  to  the  praise  of  the  colored 
man  that  he  was  true  and  faithful  to  the  family  of 
his  master  when  he  was  in  the  army  fighting  for  a 
cause  which,  if  successful,  would  perpetuate  his 
bondage.  In  conversing  with  scores  of  people  dur- 
ing thirty  years,  I  have  never  heard  of  an  instance 
of  betrayal  of  trust  on  the  part  of  a  slave.  Con- 
federate generals,  doctors,  lawyers,  and  ministers, 
and  private  citizens  give  their  unanimous  testimony 
that  the  slaves  toiled  industriously,  and  faithfully 
cared  for  the  unprotected  women  and  children  who 
were  left  in  their  charge.  This  faithfulness  on  the 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         199 

part  of  the  slave  has  filled  the  English-speaking 
race  with  surprise  and  admiration. 

A  Southern  minister  says :  "  In  a  county  some- 
times 12,000  out  of  15,000  were  black  people. 
What  a  blow  they  could  have  struck  !  During  all 
the  years  of  that  dark  war  did  these  black  men 
ever  lift  their  hand  in  one  revengeful  act  ?  Can 
you  point  to  one  single  instance  of  revenge  ?  Did 
not  they  protect  the  interests  of  their  masters  dur- 
ing the  war  ?  " 

A  volume  might  be  written,  giving  instances  of 
affectionate  devotion  to  their  old  masters,  and  of 
sublime  ftiith  in  God  who  they  believed  was  fight- 
ing their  battles  for  them.  The  following  incident 
is  taken  from  the  American  Missionary  for  1894, 
page  19 : 

"During  the  last  days  of  the  civil  war  a  Confed- 
erate soldier  lay  dying  on  a  Virginia  battle-field. 
His  faithful  slave  valet  stood  at  his  side.  As  the 
master  was  breathing  his  last  he  said  to  the  slave  : 
'Go,  go.'  'Go  where,  master?'  asked  the  slave. 
'  Go  North  and  be  free.  You  are  too  noble  a  man 
to  be  a  slave.'  '  No,  master,  I'se  obliged  to  ffo  back. 
I  promised  missus  that  if  you  fell  I  would  bring 
back  to  her  the  Bible  she  sewed  in  your  vest  pocket. 
I  would  like  to  be  free,  but  I'se  obliged  to  go  back.' 
The  master  died.  Back  the  slave  went,  across  riv- 
ers, over  plains,  through  cane  brakes,  till  he  reached 
the  old  Mississippi  plantation.  When  he  had  deliv- 
ered the  book  he  was  remanded  to  slavery." 


200  HISTORY  OF  THE 

The  following  is  from  the  Christian  Herald: 

"  Near  the  Black  Mingo  Baptist  Church  in 
Georgetown  District,  South  Carolina,  among  the 
tombstones  which  mark,  and  will  ever  make  the 
spot  dear  to  all  who  may  visit  the  place,  one  may 
read  the  following  on  a  marble  slab  : 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of 

"  BILL," 
A  Strictly  Honest  and  Faithful  Servant  of 

CLELAND  BELIU. 

"  Bill  was  often  entrusted  with  the  care  of  personal 
merchandise,  to  the  value  of  many  thousand  dol- 
lars, without  loss  or  damage. 

"He  died  on  the  7th  day  of  October,  1854,  in  the 
thirty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  and  an  approved  mem- 
ber of  the  'Black  Mingo  Baptist  Church,'  of  which 
his  master  was  a  deacon.  '  Well  done  thou  good 
and  faithful  servant,  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord.'  Erected  by  his  master. — C.  B. 

"  This  is  one  of  a  thousand  evidences  of  affection 
held  in  ante-bellum  days  for  faithful  servants  by 
their  masters. 

-W.  H.  ROBERT,  an  ex-Slam-Holder ." 

Rev.  Dr.  Allen,  brought  up  in  the  South,  a  slave- 
holder's son,  says : 

"  I  have  carried  in  my  heart  since  I  was  a  boy, 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         201 

a  prayer  of  an  old  colored  man  whom  my  father 
owned.  As  I  came  up  one  evening,  near  the  fence, 
I  heard  a  strange  noise.  I  stopped — I  was  a  little 
frightened.  I  soon  found  the  old  colored  man  was 
there,  engaged  in  prayer  near  the  fence.  I  heard 
him  pray  to  God  to  wash  his  soul  in  the  blood  of 
Jesus,  to  clothe  him  in  Christ's  righteousness,  and 
towards  the  close  of  his  prayer,  he  said :  '  Now, 
Lord,  bless  the  corn-fields  and  the  old  people  at  the 
house,  and  God  bless  old  master's  little  boys.' 
When  I  heard  that,  I  felt  like  going  down  on  my 
knees  beside  him,  for  I  felt  that  I  stood  on  holy 
ground.  The  heart  of  that  man  reaching  up  to 
Him  who  could  bless  the  little  boy !  We  saw  him 
die  in  a  few  months  after.  And,  brethren,  I  feel 
in  my  heart  that  if  God  will  help  me,  and  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  will  help  me,  old  master's  little 
boy  shall  bless  the  dying  man's  race." 

Some  very  eloquent  and  touching  descriptions  are 
given  by  the  white  men  and  women  of  the  South,  of 
their  old  mammies,  into  whose  arms  they  were  placed 
in  earliest  infancy,  and  whose  lisping  tongues  were 
first  taught  by  these  dear  old  saints  to  speak  the 
name  of  Jesus.  Many  of  these  aged  ones  are  still 
dearly  beloved  and  affectionately  cared  for  by  their 
old  owners. 

Among  the  slaves  were  often  found  many  high- 
minded  and  pious  men  and  women.  Bishop  Hay- 
ward  says  some  of  the  holiest  men  he  ever  knew 


202  HISTORY  OF  THE 

were  slaves.  Some  of  the  slave-preachers  were  men 
of  great  pulpit  power,  and  enjoyed  the  confidence 
and  sympathy  of  their  white  brethren  in  the  minis- 
try. Others  of  them  had  exalted  ideas  of  their 
duty  to  God,  and  preached  the  Gospel  at  the  risk 
of  punishment  from  unsympathizing  masters. 

In  the  pine  woods  near  Florence,  South  Carolina,  I 
entered  the  humble  cabin  of  a  preacher.  I  was 
hundreds  of  miles  away  from  my  family,  and  could 
not  see  them  for  months  to  come.  Said  the  wife, 
"  I  never  was  away  from  my  husband  but  one  time 
in  all  my  life,  when  he  was  gone  two  weeks.  When 
he  come  home  it  'peared  like  I  didn't  had  no  sense, 
I  was  so  glad."  Princes  and  millionaires  may  well 
envy  a  devotion  like  this. 

During  the  war  the  Government  decided  to  enlist 
colored  men  in  its  service.  The  Records  of  the 
War  Department  show  that  there  were  178,975  col- 
ored men  who  became  soldiers  of  the  United  States. 
We  have  already  made  reference  to  the  testimony 
of  officers  at  Port  Hudson  as  to  their  bravery  in 
action. 

The  late  General  S.  C.  Armstrong,  to  whom  ref- 
erence has  already  been  made,  served  two  and  a 
half  years  with  negro  soldiers.  His  experience  as 
commander  of  the  Ninth  and  Eighth  Regiments  of 
United  States  colored  troops  convinced  him  of  the 
good  qualities  and  capacities  of  the  freedmen. 
"  Their  quick  response  to  good  treatment  and  to  dis- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         203 

cipline  was  a  constant  surprise.  Their  tidiness, 
devotion  to  their  duty  and  their  leaders,  their  dash 
and  daring  in  battle,  and  ambition  to  improve — 
often  studying  their  spelling-books  under  fire — 
showed  that  they  deserved  as  good  a  chance  as  any 
people."  Similar  testimonies  have  been  given  by 
many  other  commanders  of  colored  troops. 

There  is  no  record  at  the  War  Department  as  to 
the  number  of  colored  soldiers  that  fell  in  action  or 
died  of  wounds  and  disease.  According  to  the 
latest  official  statistics,  67,058  officers  and  enlisted 
men  of  the  Federal  army  were  killed  in  action,  and 
292,470  died  of  wounds  and  disease  in  the  late  war.* 

That  the  colored  people  have  made  great  progress 
since  they  were  emancipated,  none  can  deny.  The 
late  Governor  Brown,  of  Georgia,  said :  "  The 
negroes  have  shown  a  capacity  to  receive  education, 
and  a  disposition  to  elevate  themselves  that  is  ex- 
ceedingly gratifying,  not  only  to  me,  but  to  every 
right-thinking  man."  Bishop  A.  G.  Haygood,  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  says :  "  The 
progress  of  the  negro  race  in  the  United  States 
during  the  past  twenty  years  is  one  of  the  marvels 
of  history."  A  distinguished  Southern  minister, 
familiar  with  the  South  from  the  Potomac  to  the 
Rio  Grande,  said  on  a  public  occasion :  "  Since 
God's  sun  has  moved  across  the  heavens,  no  race 
has  made  such  progress  in  the  same  length  of  time 


*  See  Note  I). 


204  HISTORY  OF  THE 

as  the  colored  people  have  made  since  they  were 
set  free." 

Governor  Northern,  of  Georgia,  says  that  the 
negroes  of  his  State  pay  taxes  on  $16,000,000,  and 
the  white  people  on  $462,000,000.  This  gives  a 
ratio  of  about  one  to  twenty-nine.  It  has  been 
stated,  on  what  seems  to  be  good  authority,  that 
the  negroes  of  the  whole  South  pay  taxes  on 
$264,000,000  worth  of  property. 

The  following  statements  from  the  Annual  Re- 
port of  the  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts  for  Vir- 
ginia for  the  year  1893,  show  that  where  a  colored 
man  owns  one  dollar,  a  white  man  owns  about 
thirty  dollars.  This  report  also  shows  that  where 
a  colored  man  pays  one  dollar  for  taxes,  a  white 
man  pays  not  thirty  dollars,  but  only  about  eleven 
dollars  : 

VALUE  OF  PERSONAL  PROPERTY — 1893  : 

Total  value $93,838,414  00 

Total  value  owned  by  whites 90,373,044  00 

Total  value  owned  by  negroes 3,465,370  00 

VALUE  OF  REAL  ESTATE  : 

Total  value $306,200,038  00 

Total  value  owned  by  whites 296,371,055  00 

Total  value  owned  by  negroes 9,829,583  00 

TAXKS  ASSESSED  FOR  1893: 

Whites '. .    $1,824,15:;  74 

Negroes 172,391  28 

They  have  made  progress  in  education.  They 
have  now  1,500,000  children  in  school,  while  more 


PROF.  GEORGE  RICE  HOVEY,  A.  M. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         205 

than  2,500,000  have  learned  to  read  and  write. 
When  the  writer  first  came  to  the  South  there  were 
no  colored  teachers;  now  there  are  fully  25,000. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  there  were  few  or  no  col- 
ored teachers  in  Virginia;  now  there  are  2,041,  of 
whom  1,130  are  colored  women.  These  teachers 
receive  on  an  average  $26.86  per  month.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  there  were  but  three  colored  phy- 
sicians; now  there  are  about  800.  There  were 
then  only  two  colored  lawyers  ;  now  there  are  about 
300.  There  are  about  200  editors  of  papers.  There 
are  1,000  college-bred  colored  ministers,  and  250 
colored  students  in  the  universities  of  Europe. 
Those  who  wish  to  investigate  this  subject  more 
thoroughly  are  referred  to  the  following  sources  of 
information : 

"  Second  Mohonk  Conference  on  the  Negro  Ques- 
tion," Boston,  1891,  8vo. ;  "  Twenty-two  Years 
Work  of  Hampton  Normal  and  Agricultural  In- 
stitute," Hampton,  1891,  8vo. ;  "  Education  of  the 
Negro,"  by  W.  T.  Harris,  Atlantic  Monthly,  Vol. 
LXIX  (June,  1892),  p.  721;  "A  Voice  from  the 
South,"  by  a  black  woman  of  the  South  (A.  J. 
Cooper),  Ohio,  1892  (published  by  Aldine  Printing 
House,  Xenia,  Ohio) ;  "A  Brief  Historical  Sketch 
of  Negro  Education  in  Georgia,"  by  R.  R.  Wright, 
Savannah,  Georgia,  1894;  "Afro-American  Press 
and  its  Editors,"  by  I.  G.  Penn,  Springfield,  Massa- 
chusetts, 1891  (Willey  &  Company,  Publishers) ; 


206 


HISTORY  OF  THE 


"  Condition  of  the  Negro,"  by  A.  T.  Smith  and 
others,  New  York  Independent,  April  2,  1891 ;  "  Pro- 
ceedings National  Educational  Association,"  1880, 
p.  76,  1889,  pp.  546-553,  1890,  p.  497;  "Twenty 
Years  of  Negro  Education,"  by  J.  M.  Keating, 
Popular  Science  Monthly,  Vol.  28,  p.  24. 

For  educational  statistics,  collegiate  and  profes- 
sional, you  may  consult  the  Annual  Reports  of  the 
Commissioner  of  Education,  under  head  of  "Edu- 
cation of  the  Colored  Race,"  Vol.  2,  for  1890-91, 
pp.  961,  1469. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          207 


CHAPTER  XV. 


Then — Now — Pleasant  Recollections — Preaching  to 
Phil.  Kearney  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  R.  E.  Lee 
Camp —  Visits  Abroad — Beneficiary  Aid —  The  Amer- 
ican Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  and  its  Workers. 

T  T  may  be  expected  that  I  should  say  something 
•*•  about  the  religious  progress  of  the  colored  man 
since  he  became  free.  I  am  aware  that  he  has  been 
the  subject  of  many  unkind  remarks  and  many 
caricatures.  His  piety  and  integrity  have  been 
assailed,  and  newspaper  correspondents  have  tried 
to  create  merriment  by  giving  amusing  reports  of 
his  public  utterances  and  his  sermons.  It  should 
be  remembered  that  the  list  of  words  that  the  for- 
mer slave  knew  was  small,  and  therefore  his  efforts 
to  pronounce  many  words  used  by  the  whites  were 
not  very  successful.  But  his  heart  was  right,  and 
God  signally  honored  the  slave  preachers  in  saving 
many  souls.  It  is  not  surprising  that  a  student 
should  say :  "  I  have  come  to  insult  you,"  when  he 
meant  "  consult."  It  is  not  hard  to  understand 
how  a  man  might  pray  before  the  sermon  for  the 
brother  who  was  to  "expand"  the  Gospel,  when 
he  meant  to  "  expound "  it.  No  affront  was  in- 
tended when  the  fervid  brother  prayed  for  a  certain 
white  man  whom  he  looked  upon  as  a  friend  of  his 


208  HISTORY  OF  THE 

race,  and  blessed  the  Lord  that  though  this  friend 
had  a  white  skin,  yet  he  had  a  black  heart. 

When  the  slaves  were  first  made  free  the  mem- 
bers of  Baptist  Churches  were  very  much  scattered. 
The  white  and  colored  were  members  of  the  same 
churches  before  the  war,  but  at  the  close,  in  many 
instances,  the  churches  were  entirely  broken  up. 

In  Georgetown,  South  Carolina,  the  only  white 
member  that  could  be  found  was  the  clerk  of  the 
church,  and  he  lived  fourteen  miles  from  the  church 
edifice.  The  colored  members,  who  were  numerous, 
had  mostly  remained,  but  they  could  not  act  for  the 
church.  Conversions  were  occurring  among  them, 
and  we  organized  a  church  and  ordained  a  pastor. 
Some  lived  in  out-lying  districts,  and  the  local  lead- 
ers in  those  places  could  only  indicate  the  number 
of  their  converts  by  a  notch  cut  in  a  stick  for  every 
one  who  professed  conversion  under  their  leader- 
ship. Tin  cups  and  tea  cups  were  the  vessels  in 
which  the  wine  was  distributed  at  the  communion. 
Frequently  the  places  of  worship  were  booths  or 
arbors  in  the  forests.  The  people  were  very  poor. 
A  marriage  ceremony  was  performed,  and  the  grate- 
ful groom,  on  the  following  morning,  brought  three 
eggs  to  reward  the  minister  for  his  services. 

Peculiar  ideas  prevailed  as  to  hearing  audibly  the 
voice  of  God  or  of  an  angel  at  the  time  of  conver- 
sion. For  want  of  suitable  words,  often  the  most 
primitive,  yet  vivid,  illustrations  were  used  to  ex- 
press the  experiences  of  the  human  soul  in  passing 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         209 

from  darkness  into  light.  When  our  School  was  in 
the  Old  Jail,  one  of  our  ministerial  students,  in 
giving  an  account  of  his  conversion,  after  describ- 
ing various  exercises  of  mind,  said :  "All  of  a  sud- 
den a  star  busted  in  my  breast,  and  I  was  mighty 
happy  in  the  Lord."  What  language  could  more 
poetically  describe  the  ecstatic  emotions  that  burst  in 
upon  the  soul  when  it  passes  from  darkness  into  the 
light  of  the  glorious  Gospel  of  the  son  of  God  ? 

Some  of  the  prayers  and  sermons  of  the  colored 
leaders  are  remarkable,  alike  for  the  beauty  of  the 
thought  and  the  vividness  of  expression.  I  have 
heard  from  the  lips  of  colored  men  some  of  the 
finest  word  painting  that  ever  fell  from  human  lips. 

The  following  is  part  of  a  prayer  offered  by  a  lay- 
man in  the  first  African  Church,  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia. It  is  without  the  abbrevations  with  which  it 
was  accompanied  when  delivered  :  "  In  this  dark 
way  of  sin  and  death,  while  the  loud  thunders  of 
thy  wrath  roll  in  majesty  in  the  sinner's  ears  and 
the  blaze  of  thy  fury  flashes  all  of  a  sudden  before 
his  eyes,  send  your  brooding  spirit  like  a  dove 
through  the  storm  and  speak  peace  to  his  wretched 
soul  before  it  is  everlastingly  too  late.  Show  him 
tbe  slippery  rocks  and  the  miry  clay.  Make  him 
see  that  Satan  follows  fast,  tripping  at  his  heels,  and 
hell  yawns  open  to  catch  him  when  he  falls.  Oh ! 
arrest  him  by  the  mighty  power  of  thy  grace. 
Pour  down  your  mercy  like  rain  from  the  summer 
clouds.  Make  him  open  his  blind  eyes  to  see  the 


210  HISTORY  OF  THE 

beauty  of  thy  holiness  a-shining  in  the  face  of  your 
beloved  Son,  like  the  rainbow  when  the  storm  is 
done  gone  and  passed  away.  Oh,  thou  great  King 
of  Glory  who  rides  in  the  golden  chariot  in  the  New 
Jerusalem,  above  the  sun,  I  beseech  and  pray  you 
drive  thy  white  horses  down  this  way ;  and  when 
the  hoofs  of  the  horses  strike  this  lower  world  and 
the  dashing  wheels  come  in  our  sight,  stop  thy 
chariot  at  Washington  city,  and  alight  in  loving 
kindness  at  the  door  of  thy  servant,  the  President 
Grant,  and  tell  him  exactly  what  to  do.  Sound  the 
meaning  of  your  will  in  the  Congress  halls,  and  tell 
the  great  men  without  their  own  asking  how  to 
serve  their  country  best.  Purge  the  hearts  of  the 
Senators  and  Representatives  from  the  love  of  sin, 
and  lead  their  stumbling  feet  from  the  snares  of 
hell.  Help  them  to  remember  thy  servants  in  every 
sorrow  and  temptation,  as  Jesus  remembers  them. 
Thin  out  the  desire  of  honor  and  the  love  of  salary 
from  their  souls  like  suckers  out  of  corn  ;  and  may 
your  name  be  above  every  name,  and  thy  kingdom 
come  into  the  high  places  and  the  low,  like  the 
light  of  morning  comes  to  the  hills  and  the  valleys 
the  same.  After  leaving  Washington  city  and  tak- 
ing thy  time,  drive  your  chariot  dowTn  over  the  fields 
and  rein  up  thy  horses  of  fire  at  the  capital  of  old 
Virginia,  alight  out  at  the  Governor's  door,  and  go 
into  his  house  and  tell  him  what  things  he  ought 
to  say,  and  show  him  what  things  he  ought  to  do, 
like  a  father  who  instructs  his  own  children." 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          211 

This  prayer,  uttered  with  great  fervor  and  with 
some  of  the  words  drawn  out  in  musical  tones  that 
were  indescribable,  held  breathless  the  congrega- 
tion. The  throne  of  grace  was  near  and  the  souls 
of  the  people  were  blessed. 

In  those  early  days  of  pioneer  work  in  the  South, 
there  were  but  few,  if  an}7,  church  buildings  owned 
by  the  colored  people.  Now  there  are  large  and 
comfortable  edifices  which  they  have  erected  and 
paid  for,  at  a  cost  of  twenty,  thirty,  and  even  forty 
thousand  dollars.  There  are  flourishing  Sunday- 
schools,  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations,  and 
various  Societies  for  the  culture  and  development 
of  the  young  people.  There  are  now  Academies, 
Colleges,  Schools  of  Law,  Medicine  and  Theology. 
There  are  also  cultivated  preachers  and  accomplished 
professional  men  Dr.  A.  E.  Dickinson,  editor  of 
the  Religious  Herald,  says  in  the  Independent  (New 
York),  March  7th,  1895:  "  The  negroes  of  the  South 
are  doing  as  well  as  we  have  any  right  to  expect 
under  all  the  circumstances.  Their  progress  in 
building  fine  churches  and  raising  great  amounts  of 
money  for  various  descriptions  of  religious  work 
is  truly  wonderful.  Northerners  should  come  down 
among  us  and  see  it  all  with  their  own  eyes,  then 
they  would  know  how  to  appreciate  it." 

These  things  are  mentioned  as  showing  what  is 
possible.  But  after  all  that  has  been  done,  there 
are  hundreds  of  thousands  that  have  never  been 
reached,  and  who  need  the  helping  hand. 


212  HISTORY  OF  THE 

While  many  thousands  in  the  South  still  occupy 
the  one-room  cabin,  yet  many  own  good  homes, 
costing  from  one  thousand  to  six  and  eight  thou- 
sand dollars.  The  prosperity  of  a  people  depends 
upon  the  condition  of  the  home  life.  No  race  or 
nation  can  rise  above  the  moral  condition  of  its 
women.  If  they  are  indolent,  and  vain,  and  fond 
of  frivolous  amusement,  the  men  will  too  readily 
conform  to  the  prevailing  notions.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  women  are  noble  and  aspiring,  and  graced 
with  every  womanly  virtue,  the  men  will  eagerly 
strive  to  become  worthy  of  them.  In  some  coun- 
tries of  Europe  there  exist  much  ignorance,  super- 
stition and  degradation.  But  when  one  sees  the 
women  engaged  in  removing  the  oft'al  of  the  cities, 
or  loading  railroad  cars,  or  mixing  and  carrying 
mortar,  he  learns  why  so  much  wretchedness,  super- 
stition and  crime  exist. 

The  effect  of  the  training  received  at  our  schools 
for  girls  is  seen  in  the  communities  where  the  grad- 
uates of  these  schools  labor.  A  pupil  is  at  school 
brought  in  contact  with  new  influences.  She  be- 
comes acquainted  with  new  methods  of  missionary 
and  temperance  work.  She  receives  new  impulses, 
and  goes  back  to  her  home  among  the  mountains 
or  on  the  lowlands,  full  of  enthusiasm.  Her  influ- 
ence for  good  is  seen  every  where.  It  is  manifest 
in  her  immediate  family,  among  her  associates,  in 
the  Sunday-school  and  in  the  church.  The  pastor 
is  stimulated  in  his  efforts,  and  the  whole  com- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          213 

murrity  is  blessed.  In  some  instances  her  influence 
extends  beyond  her  native  land.  A  few  years  ago 
there  was  a  colored  girl  ploughing  cotton  in  Tenn- 
essee. She  left  the  cotton  field  for  the  school- 
room. She  took  a  course  of  medicine  at  Nashville, 
and  after  receiving  her  degree,  she  went  to  Africa, 
where  she  has  been  supporting  herself  as  a  Medical 
Missionary  among  the  natives.  The  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  has  recently  decided  to  give  her 
an  appointment  under  their  Board  of  Missions. 

In  the  course  of  twenty-seven  years'  work  in 
Richmond,  there  is  very  little  that  is  unpleasant  to 
be  remembered.  The  city  officials,  the  Police  and 
Fire  Departments,  and  others  have  shown  the  deep- 
est interest  in  the  protection  and  preservation  of  our 
property. 

While  in  Richmond,  in  addition  to  my  appointed 
work,  I  have  preached  614  sermons.  Of  this  num- 
ber seventy-nine  have  been  to  white  congregations, 
and  208  to  the  First  African  Church. 

The  Richmond  Dispatch  of  May,  1888,  contained 
this  announcement:  "  R.  E.  Lee  Camp  and  the 
United  Veterans  will  join  Phil.  Kearney  Post  in 
attendance  upon  a  Memorial  Sermon  to  be  preached 
to-night  at  Grace  Street  Baptist  Church  by  Rev.  C. 
H.  Corey,  D.  D."  On  entering  the  pulpit  I  found 
on  my  left  Phil.  Kearney  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  on  my 
right  R.  E.  Lee  Camp  of  Confederate  Veterans, 
with  a  large  congregation  in  addition.  The  text 


214  HISTORY  OF  THE 

was  Joshua  i,  7.  The  situation,  to  say  the  least, 
was  a  peculiar  one ;  the  President  of  a  school  for 
colored  people  preaching  in  Richmond  a  memorial 
discourse  on  the  Union  dead,  before  Federal  and 
Confederate  soldiers.  Within  a  radius  of  four  miles 
were  buried  nearly  40,000  who  fell  in  action,  or  died 
of  wounds  or  disease  in  the  late  war. 

On  Memorial  Day,  May  80th,  the  veterans  of  both 
armies,  the  Blue  and  the  Gray,  marching  to  the 
music  of  the  same  fife  and  drum,  joined  in  the 
morning  in  decorating  the  graves  of  the  Federal 
dead  at  Seven  Pines,  and  in  the  afternoon  the  graves 
of  the  Confederate  dead  at  Hollywood.  As  "  Chap- 
lain of  the  day  "  for  Phil.  Kearney  Post,  it  was  my 
privilege  to  be  present  at  both  services. 

In  1878  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
of  Richmond,  sent  me  as  a  delegate  to  the  Inter- 
national Convention  of  Young  Men's  Christian  As- 
sociations, which  convened  in  August,  at  Geneva, 
Switzerland.  As  showing  what  effect  the  method 
of  Sabbath  observance  in  Continental  Europe  has 
upon  Christian  people,  I  may  mention  that  it  was 
the  custom  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion of  Geneva,  to  make  steamboat  excursions  on 
the  lake  on  Sunday  afternoons. 

Through  the  kindness  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  the  Seminary,  and  the  Board  of  the  Home  Mis- 
sion Society,  in  1890,  leave  of  absence  was  granted 
me  for  several  months  to  visit  the  Orient.  Egypt, 
Palestine,  Damascus,  Baalbek,  Beyrout,  Cyprus, 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          215 

Smyrna,  Ephesus,  Athens,  Corinth,  Constantinople 
and  a  number  of  the  capitals  of  Europe  were  em- 
braced in  this  delightful  journey. 

From  an  inquiry  made  not  long  ago  it  was  found 
that  there  were  then  more  than  500  white  men  pre- 
paring for  the  ministry  in  (not  all)  the  Baptist 
Academies,  Colleges  and  Theological  Seminaries  of 
the  United  States,  who  were  receiving  aid,  at  the 
average  cost  of  $100  per  man,  making  in  all  $50,000 
per  annum.  These  young  men  are  from  the  oldest 
and  richest  States,  with  the  wealth  .of  a  century 
behind  them. 

In  one  of  our  oldest  Seminaries  at  one  time  ninety 
per  cent,  of  the  students  received  beneficiary  aid. 
In  some  of  our  best  Seminaries  now  six  out  of  seven 
are  beneficiaries.  If  white  men  cannot  get  along 
without  assistance,  can  we  expect  that  colored  men 
who  have  but  recently  come  from  slavery  can  do 
so  ?  They  are  poor ;  some  of  them  are  homeless ; 
some  have  aged  parents  (formerly  slaves)  dependent 
upon  them.  It  has  been  found  necessary,  therefore, 
to  render  assistance  to  those  that  really  needed  it. 
The  sum  of  $40,595.03  in  cash  has  been  expended 
in  the  payment  of  the  board  of  ministerial  students. 
This  money  has  come,  largely,  by  solicitation  from 
Sunday-schools,  churches  and  private  individuals. 
Many  have  made  great  sacrifices,  and  have  done  so 
cheerfully,  for  the  sake  of  putting  into  the  field  a 
properly  equipped  minister  of  Christ.  One,  who 


216  HISTORY  OF  THE 

for  years  supported  a  student  in  our  Institute,  lived 
in  a  humble  home  near  a  New  England  village,  and 
raised  strawberries  on  her  little  homestead.  I  have 
found  her  in  her  fields  toiling  in  the  hot  summer 
sun,  in  order  that  she  might  add  to  her  earnings. 
She  was  accustomed  to  peddle  her  berries  through 
the  village,  from  a  wheelbarrow  propelled  by  her 
own  hands.  She  supported  a  student  for  a  number 
of  years,  at  a  cost  of  $50  per  year. 

Sometimes  we  have  been  in  great  straits.  On 
one  occasion,  at  the  Christmas  holidays,  there  were 
not  five  dollars  in  hand,  and  there  were  twenty 
men  to  be  provided  for  until  the  close  of  the  term 
in  May.  We  made  known,  as  we  ever  do,  our 
wants  to  God,  and  he  sent  us  means  from  unexpec- 
ted sources  to  carry  us  through  without  incurring 
a  debt.  One  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  of 
this  came  from  an  entire  stranger  beyond  the  sea. 
At  various  times  we  have  had  remarkable  answers  to 
our  prayers,  and  blessed  assurances  that  God  was 
watching  over  this,  his  own  work. 

Before  closing  this  chapter  I  desire  to  say  some- 
thing of  the  work  of  the  American  Baptist  Home 
Mission  Society,  under  whose  auspices  this  and 
many  other  schools  have  been  planted  and  fostered. 
Seven  or  eight  schools  had  been  founded  up  to  the 
close  of  the  administration  of  Secretary  S.  S.  Cut- 
ting. The  amount  of  work  done  by  Dr.  H.  L. 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          217 

Morehouse,*  who  succeeded  Dr.  Cutting,  in  thirteen 
years,  up  to  the  time  when  he  resigned  the  General 
Secretaryship,  seems  almost  incredible.  The  record 
of  what  was  accomplished  during  his  administra- 
tion is  not  only  inspiring,  but  thrilling.  Nothing 
but  nerves  of  iron,  unflagging  energy,  tireless 
working,  an  exhaustless  patience,  and  an  ever  abid- 
ing faith  in  the  God  who  holds  the  key  that  unlocks 
the  hearts  of  his  servants,  could  have  accomplished 
such  results.  During  that  period  the  number  of 
missionaries  increased  from  238  to  1,053;  the  num- 
ber of  schools,  from  eight  to  twenty-seven.  The 
receipts  per  year  at  the  commencement  of  that 
period  were  $176,393.1.9,  at  the  close  $500,930. 
Endowments  were  secured,  and  all  departments  of 
the  work  were  strengthened  and  enlarged.  "What 
man  could  have  done  grander  work  than  this  ? 

Rev.  M.  Mac  Vicar,  LL.  D.,  formerly  Chancellor 
of  McMaster  University,  Toronto,  Canada,  is  giv- 
ing with  indomitable  energy  the  ripe  fruits  of  long 
experience  in  educational  work,  to  the  upbuilding 
of  the  educational  institutions  of  the  Home  Mission 
Society.  His  advice  and  cooperation  have  materi- 
ally strengthened  our  work  in  Richmond. 

General  T.  J.  Morgan,  our  General  Secretary, 
well  known  in  all  the  land  as  a  soldier,  an  educator, 
and  as  a  public  officer  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment, with  his  large  knowledge  of  affairs,  is  throw- 


*  See  Note  E. 


218  HISTORY  OF  THE 

ing  his  energies  into  the  work  of  marshaling  the 
Baptist  forces  of  the  land,  and  of  leading  them  for- 
ward in  the  line  of  duty.  Already  we  have  learned 
how  great  is  his  solicitude,  that  not  only  our  Semi- 
nary but  all  the  schools  under  the  care  of  the  Soci- 
ety should  he  developed  to  the  highest  state  of 
efficiency.  Truly  this  is  a  trio  of  "  tried  and  true  " 
workers. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  in  this  connection,  that 
during  the  period  of  thirty  years  in  the  service  of 
the  Home  Mission  Society,  not  a  single  check  from 
the  now  venerable  ex-Treasurer  J.  M.  WMtehead,  or 
from  the  present  efficient  Treasurer  J.  G.  Snelling, 
has  failed  to  reach  us  on  time ;  and  none  of  our 
Monthly  Reports  have  failed  to  reach  the  office  in 
New  York. 

Dr.  Morehouse,  at  Nashville,  in  1888,  in  his 
memorable  address,  entitled  "A  survey  of  twenty- 
five  years'  work  for  the  colored  people  of  the  South," 
pays  a  glowing  tribute  to  the  noble  men  and  women 
who  had  given  unsparingly  of  their  means  to  help 
build  up  the  schools  in  the  South.  In  referring  to 
Dr.  Nathan  Bishop,  Mrs.  Bishop,  Mrs.  Benedict, 
Deacon  Holbrook  Chamberlain,  John  D.  Rocke- 
feller and  others,  he  says  :  "  Their  names,  associated 
with  these  institutions  and  entrenched  in  the.  affec- 
tions of  the  people,  will  be  immortal.  Nobler  men 
and  women  than  these  were  never  found  among  the 
friends  of  any  society."  Dr.  Morehouse,  referring 
to  the  early  laborers  in  the  Southern  field,  con- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         219 

tinues:  "No  lives  of  ease  have  been  lived,  no  per- 
functory service  rendered  by  these  who,  with  a 
missionary  spirit  that  in  many  cases  matches  that 
exhibited  in  any  mission  field  of  earth,  have  bent 
every  energy  of  their  being  to  the  accomplishment 
of  their  tasks.  What  has  it  cost?  Tell  us  who  can, 
what  it  cost  that  hero,  Harry  Woodsmall,  who  con- 
sumed the  last  atom  of  vital  force  in  absolute  self- 
surrender  to  Christ  and  the  least  of  his  lowly  breth- 
ren in  the  South.  Tell  us  who  can — for  she  will 
not  tell  it — what  it  has  cost  Joanna  P.  Moore  in  her 
twenty-five  years  continuous  toil  among  the  homes 
and  the  by-ways  of  the  neglected  and  the  needy. 
Tell  us,  who  can — for  never  from  the  lips  of  these 
brave,  uncomplaining  souls  do  you  hear  a  recital  of 
it — what  it  has  cost  these  veterans,  whom  we  count 
it  an  honor  to  meet  with  us  to-day,  Drs.  Philips 
and  Corey,  and  Drs.  Tupper  and  King,  who  could 
not  be  here !  The  cost  in  those  earlier  years,  when 
the  condition  of  things  was  vastly  different  from 
the  present,  is  not  only  beyond  computation  but 
beyond  apprehension.  Had  some  of  these  wrought 
in  a  foreign  land  with  corresponding  results,  their 
name  and  fame  would  have  gone  around  the  world." 


220  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTKR  XVI. 


Sloio  Progress — Our  Ancestors — The  Bible —  Work  for 
the  Lowly — Suffrage —  Conclusion. 

Q.OMETTMES  the  complaint  has  been  heard  that 
™  the  progress  made  by  the  colored  people  has 
not  been  sufficiently  rapid.  It  should  be  remem- 
bered, however,  that  all  history  teaches  that  the 
uplifting  process  among  races  is  slow.  When  Ju- 
lius Caesar  invaded  Britain  in  the  year  55,  B.  C., 
he  took  some  of  the  finest  specimens  of  our  savage 
ancestors  to  Rome.  Cicero,  in  writing  to  his  friend 
Atticus  (see  Ad  Atticum,  Lib.  IV,  6),  declared  that 
none  of  them  would  be  found  fit  to  be  a  slave  at 
Rome.  It  has  taken  1900  years  to  change  the  de- 
scendants of  these  rude  inhabitants  of  that  little 
island  to  the  noble  specimens  of  Christian  manhood 
and  womanhood  that  we  see  in  England  and 
America  to-day.  In  the  days  of  the  Caesars  it  was 
the  proudest  boast  a  man  could  make,  to  say :  "  I 
am  a  Roman."  What  makes  the  difference  between 
the  descendant  of  him  who  was  not  fit  to  be  a  slave 
at  Rome,  and  the  ignorant  and  superstitious  descen- 
dant of  the  proud  Roman  of  the  olden  times  ?  The 
pure  teachings  of  the  Bible  is  the  answer.  The 
Bible,  not  chained  in  cloisters,  nor  torn  from  the  peo- 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         221 

pie  and  burned,  but  the  Bible,  open,  and  placed 
within  the  reach  of  the  poorest  and  humblest  inhab- 
itant of  the  land,  is  the  great  lever  to  lift  races  and 
nations.  Queen  Victoria,  when  King  Theodore,  of 
Abyssinia,  wrote  to  her,  asking  why  England,  so 
small  a  country,  was  yet  so  great,  returned  as  her 
answer  a  Bible,  with  an  autograph  letter  containing 
the  following  royal  reply  :  "  Your  Majesty :  This 
book  has  made  my  kingdom  great,  and  will  make 
great  your  majesty's  kingdom  also." 

The  growth  towards  righteousness  and  truth  is 
slow.  In  the  time  of  the  Conquest  it  was  the  cus- 
tom to  buy  men  and  women  in  all  parts  of  Eng- 
land, and  to  carry  them  from  Bristol  to  Ireland  for 
sale.  They  sold  as  slaves  their  nearest  relatives, 
and  even  their  own  children.  (See  Life  of  Bishop 
Wolston.) 

The  streets  of  London,  now  with  its  4,300,000 
inhabitants,  were  "  foul  and  noisome,"  and  unpaved 
until  Henry  VIII  commenced  the  work  of  im- 
proving and  paving  them.  This  King  had  but  one 
ship  of  war  at  the  beginning  of  his  reign  with 
which  to  defend  himself  from  his  enemies.  (See 
Taine's  English  Literature^  Vol.  I,  146.)  Before  the 
time  of  Elizabeth,  A.  D.  1558,  the  country  houses 
of  gentlemen  were  little  more  than  straw-thatched 
cottages,  plastered  with  the  coarsest  clay,  and 
lighted  only  by  trellises.  They  had  no  glass  in  their 
houses;  they  used  a  good  round  log  for  a  bolster 
or  pillow,  and  ate  with  wooden  spoons.  The  moral 


222  HISTORY  OF  THE 

condition  of  the  people  of  those  times  was  also 
deplorable. 

Among  the  "  meere  "  or  wild  Irish,  in  the  year 
1600,  they  were  accustomed  to  fasten  the  plough  to 
the  horse's  tail,  and  to  burn  the  oats  from  the  straw 
to  save  the  trouble  of  threshing  them.  Acts  of 
Parliament  were  passed  against  these  practices. 
Their  great  lords  dwelt  in  poor  clay  houses  or 
cabins,  of  boughs  covered  with  turf.  In  many 
parts  women,  as  well  as  men,  had  even  in  the  win- 
ter time  only  a  linen  rag  about  their  loins,  and  a 
woolen  mantle  on  their  backs.  They  had  no  tables, 
but  set  their  meat  on  a  bundle  of  grass.  They 
feasted  on  "  fallen  "  horses,  and  drank  milk  warmed 
with  a  stone  first  cast  into  the  fire  (Tylor's  Primi- 
tive Culture,  Vol.  I,  44). 

Others  are  superstitious  as  well  as  the  colored 
people.  Martin  Luther  believed  in  witches,  and 
he  says  :  "  I  would  have  no  pity  on  these  witches ; 
I  would  burn  them  all."  The  great  and  good  Sir 
Matthew  Hale  hung  witches  in  Suffolk  county,  on 
the  authority  of  Scripture  as  he  thought,  and  the 
consenting  wisdom  of  all  nations.  King  James,  of 
England,  presided  at  the  torture  of  Dr.  Fiau,  for 
bringing  a  storm  against  the  king's  ship  on  its 
course  from  Denmark,  by  the  aid  of  a  fleet  of  witch- 
es in  sieves  who  carried  out  a  christened  cat  to  sea. 
Even  Richard  Baxter,  of  the  "  Saints  Rest,"  believed 
in  witches. 

In  Bohemia,  a  recent  account  (1864)  says  that  the 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.         223 

fishermen  do  not  venture  to  snatch  a  drowning  man 
from  the  water ;  they  fear  that  the  "  water-demon  " 
would  take  away  their  luck  in  fishing,  and  drown 
themselves  at  the  first  opportunity.  In  short,  other 
races  have  always  had  their  superstitions,  as  well  as 
the  black  race. 

It  has  taken  a  long  time  to  uproot  many  errors, 
superstitions,  and  immoralities  from  the  nations 
now  foremost  in  the  march  of  civilization.  The 
more  of  these  that  are  removed,  the  greater  is  the 
safety  to  a  commonwealth.  As  blood-poisoning  is 
destructive  to  the  whole  human  system,  so  the  ex- 
istence in  our  body  politic  of  corrupt  elements  en- 
dangers our  national  life.  If  the  stern  of  a  ship 
goes  down  the  prow  will  inevitably  follow.  If  we 
in  the  South,  who  have  so  many  millions  among 
us  yet  in  ignorance,  do  not  lift  them  up,  they  will 
drag  us  and  our  children  down. 

The  work  of  lifting  up  the  masses  must  begin  at 
the  bottom.  I  have  not  been  able  to  quite  agree 
with  my  loved  and  honored  friend,  the  late  Dr. 
John  A.  Broadus,*  whose  present  departure  from 
earth  is  mourned  by  two  hemispheres,  that  we 
must  begin  at  the  top  and  work  downward  in  our 
educational  and  religious  labors.  It  seems  to  me 
that  if  we  lift  the  lowly,  along  with  them  we  lift 
those  above  them.  We  put  the  fire  under  the  boiler 
and  not  on  the  top.  Wesley  preached  to  the  com- 


*  See  Note  F. 


224  HISTORY  OF  THE 

mon  people  of  England — the  horny-handed  sons  of 
toil.  They  were  saved,  uplifted ;  and  along  with 
them  the  corrupt  and  profligate  nobility.  Wesley 
lifted  the  crowds  and  saved  England  from  a  more 
bloody  revolution  than  that  which  devastated  France. 

The  efforts  of  the  negroes  to  secure  an  education 
has,  no  doubt,  been  a  stimulus  to  many  white 
people.  See  the  following  interesting  letter.  J. 
B.  Gambrell,  D.  D.,  President  of  Mercer  Univer- 
sity, Macon,  Georgia,  in  writing  to  a  Northern  Bap- 
tist, makes  the  following  statement.  See  The  Ex- 
aminer for  March  14th,  1895: 

"  Last  June  I  delivered  a  diploma  to  a  preacher 
who  had  completed  his  studies  at  Mercer.  The 
next  day,  in  my  office,  he  said  :  '  Do  you  know  how 
I  came  to  enter  Mercer  ?  It  was  in  this  way :  I 
was  preaching  out  in  the  country,  and  the  people 
there  said  they  thought  I  could  beat  two  college 
men;  but  I  was  not  satisfied.  There  was  a  feeling 
that  I  needed  a  much  better  training  to  do  the  work 
that  was  on  me.  One  day  I  met  a  colored  brother 
on  the  train,  and  he  told  me  of  his  studies  in  the 
Atlanta  School  for  colored  preachers — how  greatly 
he  was  helped,  and  he  wound  up  by  saying  that  he 
did  not  see  how  any  preacher  could  be  willing  to 
go  into  the  work  without  an  education.  When  he 
got  through,  one  thing  was  settled ;  I  determined  to 
go  through  Mercer.  How,  I  did  not  know,  but  my 
purpose  was  fixed — to  have  an  education.' ' 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          225 

Dr.  Gambrell  adds  these  significant  words  :  "  He 
is  one  of  our  best  men ;  and  how  true  it  is  that  we 
cannot  help  the  lowliest  of  our  people  without  help- 
ing ourselves." 

There  is  no  doubt,  that  if  not  in  this  precise  way 
then  in  some  other  way,  the  progress  of  the  colored 
man  has  served  as  an  incentive  to  his  white  neigh- 
bor. 

The  right  of  suffrage  has  been  granted  to  the 
negro,  and  various  opinions  have  been  expressed 
concerning  this  matter.  One  distinguished  minis- 
ter of  the  South  pronounces  the  giving  of  the  right 
of  suffrage  "  a  blunder  and  a  crime."  Another 
representative  man  of  national  reputation,  in  a  pub- 
lished article,  writes  as  follows :  "I  approach  what 
is  to  my  apprehension  the  most  unmatchable  out- 
rage ever  inflicted  by  a  civilized  people.  Some 
acts,  like  the  partition  of  Poland,  stand  out  on  the 
pages  of  history  as  disgraceful  national  crimes;  but 
most  of  them  shade  into  minor  offences  compared 
with  the  crime-breeding,  race-endangering,  liberty- 
imperiling  savagery  of  conferring  the  right  of  suf- 
frage upon  the  negroes  en  masse. 
Giving  the  elective  franchises  to  the  suddenly-eman- 
cipated negroes,  if  not  such  a  repeating  crime, 
would  be  a  farce  for  the  ages." 

The  Christian  Advocate,  of  Richmond,  Virginia, 
in  1888,  uses  the  following  language :  "  We  are 
ready  to  close  our  gates  even  to  the  European  with 


226  HISTORY  OF  THE 

his  genius  and  history,  but  decree  it  a  sacrilege  to 
hint  that  a  creature  out  of  a  rude  hut  in  a  southern 
swamp,  with  mind,  manners  and  motives  hardly 
above  a  gorilla,  is  not  fit  to  direct  and  dominate  the 
1  first  nation  in  the  fore  files  of  time.' ' 
"  While  the  negro,  whose  native  land  is  just  across 
the  Mediterranean  from  Athens  and  Rome,  and 
along  the  same  river  with  the  wise  Egyptians,  yet. 
never  rising  out  of  sloven  savagery  in  all  the  cen- 
turies, remaining  a  brute  and  bondman  throughout 
the  ages,  is  the  ebon  Czar  of  America,  the  sooty 
and  grotesque  idol  of  advanced  statesmen.  It 
makes  men  shudder  for  the  sanity  of  our  civiliza- 
tion." 

It  may  seriously  be  questioned  whether  it  is  wise 
in  men  who  reverently  acknowledge  God  in  all 
their  ways  (for  the  writers  are  gentlemen  of  high 
and  devout  Christian  character)  to  express  them- 
selves so  positively  on  a  point  like  this.  God,  who 
knows  the  end  from  the  beginning,  permitted  it, 
and  He  does  not  work  simply  for  to-day.  His  plans 
run  on  and  on  through  the  eternities.  The  web 
he  weaves  is  from  everlasting  to  everlasting.  He 
works  down  out  of  human  sight,  and  the  drapery 
of  invisibility  often  enshrouds  the  Divine  Arm. 
None  but  the  God  of  nations  knows  what  is  in  store 
for  our  republic.  The  tides  of  anarchy  are  already 
surging  against  the  foundation  stones  of  our  social 
fabric.  New  and  disintegrating  foreign  elements 
are  already  securing  a  foothold  on  our  soil.  Infidel 


RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.          227 

and  unprincipled  men,  doubtless  will,  at  no  dis- 
tant day,  undertake  to  control  or  overthrow  all  that 
we,  as  a  nation,  hold  most  dear.  The  colored  man 
is  not  an  anarchist,  nor  a  Sabbath-breaker,  nor  a 
maker  of  drunkards.  He  speaks  our  own  lan- 
guage;  he  loves  our  common  Lord;  he  is  loyal  to 
our  institutions.  If  we  do  our  duty  to  him  and 
prepare  him  to  use  intelligently  his  ballot,  he  and 
his  posterity  will  be  allies  that  may  assist  in  saving 
our  country  from  the  perils  that  threaten  to  engulf 
it. 

All  the  crimes  and  misdoings  of  our  common 
humanity  should  not  be  placed  at  the  door  of  the 
colored  man.  History  tells  of  the  diabolical  cruel- 
ties of  some  whom  the  world  calls  its  greatest  he- 
roes. The  social  life  of  the  most  civilized  peoples 
has  its  scandals,  even  in  the  highest  stations  in  life. 
Nefarious  schemes  for  gain  are  planned;  great 
gambling  establishments  exist;  colossal  defalca- 
tions occur ;  and  breaches  of  trust  are  common 
among  what  are  called  the  dominant  races.  It  is 
not  wise  to  arrogate  to  ourselves  too  much  superior 
virtue,  but  with  Christ's  love  in  our  hearts,  like 
Peter  who  took  the  crippled  man  that  lay  at  the 
Temple  gate  by  the  hand,  we  should  take  by  the 
hand  and  lift  up  the  despairing  and  helpless  of  every 
race,  whether  black,  white,  red  or  yellow,  and 
whether  they  are  in  our  own  or  in  other  lands. 

What  then  is  our  duty?  The  crisis  is  upon  us; 
the  old  regime  is  passing  away ;  a  new  era  is  dawn- 


228  HISTORY  OF  THE 

ing  upon  us;  the  gates  of  the  twentieth  century 
will  soon  swing  open  before  us.  As  Christians  in 
America  do  we  realize  our  responsibilities  ?  Some 
one  has  said  that  the  Baptists  and  Methodists  of 
America  are  responsible  for  the  development  of  the 
colored  people,  as  so  many  of  them  belong  to  these 
denominations.  As  Baptists  are  we  doing  our  duty? 
More  than  one-third  of  all  the  Baptists  on  the  globe 
are  found  among  the  colored  people  of  the  South. 

Our  work  of  providing  a  trained  ministry  for  the 
1,500,000  colored  Baptists  of  the  South  needs 
strengthening  all  along  the  line.  Students  are  com- 
ing to  our  Seminary  from  the  far  South,  the  West 
Indies,  British  Honduras,  and  from  Africa.  These 
need  aid.  Our  "  Faith  Fund"  is  sometimes  very 
low.  Who  will  make  provision  for  the  support  of 
a  student  in  our  Seminary  for  all  time?  Who  will 
erect  a  memorial  for  himself  or  his  family  more 
enduring  than  granite  or  bronze,  by  founding  a 
Scholarship?  Men  have  erected  monuments  and 
built  mausoleums  to  perpetuate  their  names.  But 
the  tombs  and  pyramids  of  earth  have  been  rifled 
by  ruthless  robbers,  and  the  dust  of  Pharaohs  and 
Kings  has  been  scattered  to  the  winds  of  heaven. 
Monumental  cities  and  temples  are  in  ruins.  But 
whenever  a  steward  of  God  sends  a  fully  equipped 
and  consecrated  man  into  the  world,  he  will  live  in 
him  until  the  end  of  time.  It  is  better  to  build  in 
MEN  than  to  build  in  marble. 


NOTES. 


NOTE  A. — MAJOR-GENERAL  ANDERSON. 

The  following  is  from  the  Adjutant-General's  office,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  August  15,  1893 : 

"SiR:  In  answer  to  your  communication  of  the  llth  instant, 
the  following  information  is  furnished  from  the  files  of  this 
office:  Fort  Sumpter,  S.  C.,  was  surrendered  April  14,  1861,  by 
Major  Robert  Anderson,  1st  Artillery,  and  the  United  States 
flag  was  raised  again  on  that  fort  April  14,  1865,  by  the  same 
officer,  who  at  that  time  held  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General 
and  Brevet  Major-General  on  the  retired  list. 

"Ordinance  Sergeant  James  Kearney,  United  States  Army, 
was  present  at  Fort  Sumpter  at  its  surrender  in  1861,  and  at  the 
raising  of  the  United  States  flag  there  in  1865." 


NOTE  B.— VALUE  OF  PROPERTY  DESTROYED. 

In  the  Richmond  Whig  of  April  10,  1865,  there  is  a  partial 
list  of  the  owners  of  real  estate  destroyed  in  the  fire,  and  of 
the  property  respectively  owned  by  them.  The  figures  repre- 
sent the  assessed  value  in  1860.  The  amount  given  in  that  list, 
which  is  only  a  partial  one,  is  $2,146,240.  Says  the  Whig :  "  Im- 
posing as  these  figures  appear,  they  are  far  short  of  the  truth, 
for  the  reason  already  stated,  that  real  estate  was,  before  the 
war,  invariably  assessed  much  below  the  value  it  would  have 
commanded  in  the  market.  Our  list  covers  no  more  than  the 
value  of  the  bricks  and  mortar  destroyed."  *  *  *  "  In  ad- 
dition to  the  buildings,  &c.,  destroyed  are  the  Public  Ware- 
house, in  which  was  stored  a  very  large  quantity  of  tobacco ; 
the  Richmond  and  Petersburg  railroad  bridge  ;  the  Richmond 
and  Danville  railroad  bridge,  two  spans  of  which  were  de- 
10 


230         RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 

stroyed,  and  Mayo's  passenger  bridge."  Add  to  these  losses 
the  many  public  buildings  owned  by  the  Confederacy,  the 
Government  stores,  and  the  contents  of  the  stores  of  mer- 
chants, and  the  loss  will  be  seen  to  be  enormous.  One  ware- 
house alone  contained  1,500  hogsheads  of  tobacco. 


NOTE  C. — BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  S.  C.  ARMSTRONG. 

General  S.  C.  Armstrong  was  born  in  the  Sandwich  Islands 
in  1839  of  parents  who  were  missionaries.  In  1860  he  left  that 
country  to  complete  his  education  at  Williams  College,  Massa- 
chusetts. He  served  in  the  late  war  two  and  one-half  years 
with  negro  soldiers.  General  O.  O.  Howard,  Commissioner  of 
the  Freedmen's  Bureau,  in  1866.  placed  him  in  charge  of  ten 
counties  in  Eastern  Virginia,  with  headquarters  at  Hampton. 
In  1868  he  commenced  the  educational  work  at  Hampton 
which  has  been  so  successful.  He  died  in  May,  1893,  his  death 
no  doubt  being  hastened  by  the  weight  of  his  cares  and  the 
intensity  with  which  he  devoted  himself  to  his  duties. 


NOTE  D. — THE  NORTHERN  SOLDIERS. 

The  entire  number  who  enlisted  during  the  war,  when  re- 
duced to  a  three  years'  standard,  was,  2,324,516. 

In  the  various  National  Cemeteries,  of  which  there  are 
eighty-two,  there  are  interred  331,755.  The  names  of  149,913 
of  these  are  -unknown.  Of  these  interments  about  9,300  are 
Confederates. 

A  writer  in  one  of  our  prominent  daily  papers  a  few  weeks 
ago  speaks  of  "the  Anglo-Saxon  of  the  North  aided  by  his 
hords  of  foreign  hirelings  brought  from  every  clime  to  destroy 
us,"  &c. 

For  the  information  of  the  writer  of  the  above,  and  all  who 
may  have  a  similar  impression,  I  give  the  following  percentage 
of  the  nationalities  of  those  who  enlisted  in  the  Northern 
army  from  1861  to  1865.  It  is  taken  from  the  New  York  Sun 
of  August  30,  1891: 


NOTES.  231 

Percent. 

Native  Americans 75.48 

Germans 8.76 

Irish 7.14 

British  Americans 2.60 

English 2.26 

Other  foreigners 3.76 

The  percentage  of  native  Americans  who  deserted  was  five ; 
of  all  others,  seventy-five. 


NOTE  E.— H.  L.  MOREHOUSE,  D.  D. 

Since  his  resignation  as  Corresponding  Secretary,  Dr.  More- 
house  still  serves  the  Home  Mission  Society  as  its  efficient 
Field  Secretary.  He  reminds  me  that  Dr.  Lathrop  and  J.  B. 
Hoyt,  who  are  spoken  of  on  page  36,  as  coming  to  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  in  1865,  "  were  appointed  by  the  American 
Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  to  make  this  Southern  visit." 
See  page  424  of  the  Jubilee  Volume  of  the  Society,  by  H.  L. 
Morehouse,  for  an  account  of  their  reception. 


NOTE  F. — JOHN  A.  BHOADUS,  D.  D.,  LL.D. 

This  distinguished  scholar,  President  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Theological  Seminary,  died  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  March 
16th,  1895.  He  was  a  ripe  scholar,  a  rare  instructor,  and  a 
charming  preacher.  He  was  a  polished  gentleman,  with  an 
indescribable  charm  of  manner  that  drew  all  hearts  to  him. 
Well  does  the  writer  remember  a  conversation  with  him  while 
walking  to  the  church  one  afternoon  during  the  session  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention  in  Baltimore.  Familiarly  draw- 
ing his  arm  under  mine  he  expressed  his  hearty  sympathy 
with  me  in  my  work,  and  cordially  encouraged  me  to  command 
his  services  in  any  way  and  at  any  time  I  might  desire. 

The  following  is  from  the  Courier-Journal,  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky : 

"  Dr.  Broadus'  last  appearence  at  the  General  Association  of 


232         RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY! 

Kentucky  Baptists  was  to  make  a  plea  for  colored  preachers. 
Dr.  McRidley,  a  colored  teacher,  had  made  a  plea  for  his  nor- 
mal school,  at  Cadiz ;  the  matter  was  about  to  be  passed  with- 
out favorable  action  ;  Dr.  Broadus  took  th'e  floor  and  said  :  '  Let 
us  have  a  collection  ; '  and  although  a  little  objection  was  made, 
he  carried  the  day,  as  was  his  way.  He  went  through  the 
church  and  collected  the  money  in  his  own  hat.  On  another 
occasion,  at  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  when  he  spoke 
of  the  Home  Board,  he  said  of  the  colored  people : 

" '  Heaven  help  me,  I  shall  say  nothing  of  the  race  problem 
or  any  other  problem.  You  can't  solve  a  problem  by  whole- 
sale. You  can  only  do  it  as  Nehemiah  did  when  he  rebuilt 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem— each  do  his  part.  The  Scriptures  say  : 
"As  ye  have  opportunity  do  good  toward  all  men."  We  have 
an  opportunity.  Let  us  do  the  colored  people  good.  Let  no 
unkind  criticism  dishearten.  *  *  *  *  As  to  what  is 
proper  I  cannot  lay  down  any  law ;  but  whatever  you  or  I  can 
do,  oh !  God  of  mercy,  help  you  and  me  to  do.  One  of  the 
heaviest  responsibilities,  one  of  the  highest  duties  that  God 
Almighty  ever  gave  you  and  me  was  to  do  what  we  could  for 
the  elevation  of  the  colored  people.'  " 

In  a  letter  to  the  Religious  Herald,  Dr.  Broadus  bears  a  delicate 
and  generous  testimony  to  the  work  accomplished  by  our  School 
in  Richmond.  Drs.  Manly,  Boyce  and  Broadus,  all  of  whom  I 
visited  in  their  homes  at  Louisville,  have  rested  from  their 
labors  and  their  works  do  follow  them.  These,  with  Dr.  Wil- 
liams, their  colleague,  have  all  passed  away  since  I  commenced 
my  work  in  Richmond,  twenty-seven  years  ago. 


I  N  D  BX. 


Abbott,  Rev.  M.  S.  G.  (M.  D.) 137 

American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society, 

36,  48,  52,  65,  66,  73,  77,  90,  111,  113,  127,  128,  216 

American  Baptist  Publication  Society 150 

Acadia  University 13 

Aid  to  Students 215 

Alexandria 18 

Anderson,  Major 25,  32,  229 

Anderson,  Rev.  P.  E 151 

Anderson,  Rev.  Spotswood  A 141 

Answers  to  Prayer 216 

Armstrong,  General  S.  C 123,  202,  230 

Augusta  Institute 39,  40,  58 

Backus,  J.  S.  (D.  D.) 66 

Bacote,  Rev.  S.  W.  (B.  D.) 171 

Bailey,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Joseph 18 

Banks,  General 17,  19 

Beecher,  Rev.  Henry  Ward.  32,  33 

Benedict,  Mrs 218 

Bennett,  Colonel 23 

Berkeley,  Rev.  Reuben 139 

Bill,  Hon.  Henry 83,  84 

Binney,  J.  G.  (D.  D.) 52,  53,  107 

Bishop,  Nathan  (LL.D.) 20,  218 

Bishop,  Rev.  P.  P 113 

Board  of  Trustees,  Meeting  of 128 

Boykin,  Rev.  M 37 

'Boykin,  Rev.  J.  W , 171 

Broadus,  John  A.  (D.  D.) 198,  223,  231 


234         RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 

Brockenton,  Rev.  I.  P 39,  79,  115,  142,  1G2 

Brouner,  Dr 1C 

Brown,  Rev.  A.  J 106 

Brown,  Rev.  J.  S 144,  146 

Building  Fund 183 

Burrows,  J.  L.  (D.  D.) 46 

Callahan,  Rev.  P.  H 171 

Canby,  General 120 

Carey,  Lott 196 

Chahoon,  Mayor  George 121 

Chamberlain,  Deacon  H 218 

Charleston 20,  21,  31,  36,  44  ' 

Chase,  Dr 16 

Chick,  Rev.  T.  J 150 

Chisholm,  Rev.  A.  (D.  D.) 160 

Clafflin  University 38 

Coffin,  C.  C 7, 42,  44,  46 

Coleman,  Rev.  C.  S 155 

Coles,  Rev.  J.  J 158,  159 

Colley,  Rev.  W.  W 143 

Colver  Institute 88 

Colver,  Nathaniel  (D.  D.) 54-58,  60-63,  72,  73,  75,  76,  78,  86 

Conant,  J.  T.  (D.  D.) 182 

Conway,  Chaplain  T.  M 15 

Cosby,  Rev.  Solomon 145 

Cousins,  Rev.  William 141 

Cramp,  J.  M.  (D.  D.) 14,  113,  114 

Crawley,  E.  A.  (D.  D.) 13,  14 

Curry,  Hon.  J.  L.  M 119 

Cutting,  S.  S.  (D.  D.) 101,  102,  216 

Cyrus,  Rev.  J.  H.  A 153 

Davis,  Jefferson 42,  43 

David,  Rev.  W.  J 145,  148 

De  Laney,  Dr 30 

Dickerson,  Rev.  H.  W 141 


INDEX.  235 

Dickinson,  A.  E.  (D.  D.) 118 

Duers,  Rev.  Henry  E 137 

Ellyson,  Mayor  H.  K 119,  121 

Everts,  W.  W.  (D.  D.) 181 

Field,  S.  W.  (D.  D.) 116,  117 

First  African  Baptist  Church 73 

Fort  Wagner *21,  23 

Freedmen's  Bureau,  The .81,  87,  93,  123 

Fulton,  J.  D.  (I).  D.) 53,  65 

Gambrell,  J.  B.  (D.  D.) 224 

Gardner,  Sterling 137 

Garland,  Rev.  S.  A  162 

Garrison,  William  Lloyd 33 

Gassaway,  Rev.  E.  V 170 

General  A'ssembly,  Act  of 130,  131 

Goodman,  Miss  H.  W 59,  66,  69,  82-84 

Gordon,  Rev.  C.  W.  B 159 

Govan,  J.  Corey 108,  109 

Grant,  General 44 

Gregory,  Rev.  Joseph 144 

Griggs,  Rev.  A.  R 165 

Guinness,  Henry  Grattan  (D.  D.) 182 

Hamilton,  Rev.  James 36 

Hardee,  General 23 

Hartshorn  Memorial  College 135 

Hayden,  Rev.  Lucius  E.  (D.  D.) 40 

Haygood,  Bishop  A.  G 201,  203 

Heriot,  W.  J  34 

Hilton  Head 29,  34 

Holmes,  Rev.  James  H 55,  63,  78,  79,  86,  138,  196,  197 

Hovey,  Alvah  (D.  D.) 181 

Hove}',  George  Rice  (A.  M.) 179 


236         RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 

Howard,  General  O.  0 1?3 

Howson,  Dean 182 

Hoyt,  J.  B 36,  104,  182,  183 

Hoyt,  U.  G 103,  126 

Hughes,  W.  N 34 

Indianola 15 

Jackson,  Rev.  George  W 140 

Jeter,  J.  B.  (D.  D.) 118 

Johnson,  Rev.  W.  T.  (B.  D.) 172 

Jones,  John  William  (D.  D.) 119 

Jones,  Rev.  Joseph  Endom  (D.  D.) 174-178 

Jorden,  Rev.  Nelson 144 

Jubilee  Celebration 30 

Kelly,  Judge 33 

King,  Dr » 219 

King  Theodore,  Letter  to 221 

Labors  of  Students 136 

Lathrop,  Edward  (D.  D.) 36,  113,  182 

Legare,  Rev.  Jacob 39 

Lewis,  Rev.  P.  S.  (B.  D.) , . .  168 

Lewis,  T.  Willard 38,  114 

Lewis,  Rev.  Z.  D.  (B.  D.)    167 

Library  Fund 183 

Lincoln,  President 46 

Loan  Fund,  D.  Henry  Sheldon 184 

Lumpkin's  Jail 47,  54,  69,  73,  74,  80,  82,  86 

Lumpkin,  Mr 42,  43,  76 

MacVicar,  Rev.  M.  (LL.  D.) 217 

Madison,  Rev.  Henry 162 

Madison  University 49,  50,  84,  176,  178 

Mahan,  Commander -: 18 


INDEX.  237 

Matarnoras 15 

Matthews,  Rev.  J.  B 140 

Manly,  Rev.  R.  M 87 

Mayo,  A..  D.  (D.  D.) 21 

McDaniel,  Rev.  Charles  H 139 

McFadden,  Hon.  Orren 17 

Moore,  Joanna  P 219 

Morehouse,  H.  L.  (D.  D.) 102-104,  127,  183,  216,  218,  231 

Monument  to  a  Slave 200 

Morgan,  General  T.  J 184,  217 

Morris,  Harvey 109 

Morris  Island 20,  23,  24,  26 

Mower,  Rev.  Mr    48 

National  Theological  Institute 39,  53,  58,  60,  64,  65 

Negro  Education,  Sources  of  Information  on 205,  206 

Newman,  Rev.  A.  M 48 

New  Orleans 15,  19 

Newton  Theological  Institution 14 

Nichols,  Mrs.  Sarah  Hanson 84 

Northen,  Governor 204 

Northern  Soldiers 203,  230 

Old  African  Church,  History  of 185-196 

Parker,  J.  W.  (D.  D.) 57,  59,  61,  67,  68,  85,  112 

Pawley,  J.  C 39 

Payne,  Rev.  C.  H.  (D.  D.) 157 

Payne,  Rev.  E las,  165,  197 

Pease,  Captain 16, 17 

Peck,  Solomon  (D.  D.) 54,57,59,65 

Pegues,  Rev.  A.  W.  (Ph.  D.) 155 

Perry,  Rev.  Elisha 153 

Philips,  Dr 219 

Pickens,  Governor 26 

Pierce,  Rev.  D.  M.  (A.  M.) 156 

Port  Hudson 15,  17 


238         RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 

Powell,  Rev.  Guy 152 

Preaching  to  Phil.  Kearney  Post 213 

Presley,  Rev.  J.  H 158 

Professorships 183 

Quarles,  Rev.  R.  C 162 

Reed,  Lieutenant 28 

Religious  Herald 52,  55,  170 

Religious  Progress  of  the  Negro 207-211 

Removal,  Efforts  for 184 

Reports  of  Auditor  in  Virginia 204 

Richmond,  Evacuation  of 42 

Richmond  Institute,  Incorporated 124-126 

Richmond  Theological  Seminary 37,  130 

Richmond  Whig 44,  45 

Rio  Grande 15 

Robert,  J.  T.  (LL.D.) 40 

Robinson,  Rev.  C.  G 170 

Robinson,  E.  G.  (D.  D.)  181 

Robinson,  Rev.  W.  M 149 

Rockefeller,  J.  D 104, 183,  218 

Ryland,  Robert  (D.  D.) 55-58,  62,  193-196 

Samson,  G.  W.  (D.  D.) 65 

Sanders,  Rev.  Sancho 37 

Sawyer,  Rev.  A.  W.  (D.  D.,  LL.D.) 14 

Savannah,  Fall  of 23 

Scholarships 183 

Scruggs,  Rev.  L.  A.  (M.  D.) 154 

Seabrook,  N.  II 14 

Sermons  Preached  in  Richmond 213 

Seymour,  Lieutenant  R.  G 15,  16 

Shaw,  Colonel 21 

Sherman,  General 23 

Simmons,  Rev.  J.  B.  (D.  D.) 65,  69,  87,  90-100, 106 

Simmons.  W.  J.  (D.  D.) 178 


INDEX.  239 

Slave,  A  Faithful 199 

Slaveholder's  Son,  Testimony  of 200 

Smith,  S.  F.  (D.  D.)   114,  115 

Smith,  W.  H  82 

Snelling,  J.  G 218 

Soldiers,  Colored 16,  203 

Soldiers,  White 203 

Southern  Baptist  Convention 145 

Spiller,  Rev.  Richard 138 

Stone,  Marsena  (D.  D.) 181 

Stuart,  Prof.  A.  P.  S     14 

Suffrage,  Right  of 225 

Supreme  Court  of  Appeals 121 

Taliaferro,  Rev.  G.  L.  P 160,  161 

Taylor,  E.  E.  L.  (D.  D.) 101 

Teachers,  List  of 173 

Teague,  Colin 196 

Thomas,  L.,  Brigadier-General 16 

Thompson,  George 32 

Tilton,  Theodore. . .    33 

Tolman  Fund,  The  Lydia  S 183 

Turner,  J.  H.  (B.  D.) 169 

Tupper,  Dr 219 

Ullman,  General  Daniel 17 

Uncle  Jeffrey 63,  84,  85 

United  States  Christian  Commission 15,  20,  28,  34 

United  States  Hotel 77,  80,  86 

Value  of  Property  destroyed 44,  229 

Vassar,  J)avid  Nathaniel  (I).  D.) 178,  179 

Visits  Abroad 213 

Waldron,  Rev.  J.  Milton 156,  157 

Wales,  Rev.  L.  W .161 


240         RICHMOND  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 

Washington,  Rev.  Forris  J 167 

Water-house,  C.  W 115,  116 

Watts,  Rev.  Ellis  (B.  D.) 168 

Webster,  Dr.  A 38 

Weitzel,  General 44 

Wells,  Rev.  Aaron 151 

Wells,  Richard 63,  78,  79,  86, 140,  197 

Wheeler,  Rev.  E.  S 15,  16.  17 

White,  Rev.  Dr 105 

Whitehead,  J.  M 218 

Whiting,  Rev.  Z.  Taylor 169 

Winkler,  Rev.  E.  T.  (D.  D.) 39,  111 

Witches,  Belief  in 222 

Woodsmall,  Harry 219 


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